The document outlines a proposed Commonwealth Commitment program in Massachusetts to increase college access, affordability, and degree completion. It proposes guaranteed admission and a fixed tuition price for students who complete an associate degree through one of 16 eligible Massachusetts Transfer Pathway programs and then transfer to a Massachusetts public 4-year university. The program would start in Fall 2016 with 6 programs and expand to 16 programs in Fall 2017. It aims to incentivize full-time enrollment and help meet the state's projected shortfall of bachelor's and associate degree holders. Key aspects of the proposal discussed include eligible majors, transfer timelines, academic standards, engagement models with UMass campuses, proposed costs and discounts, and potential benefits to students and the state

1. The Commonwealth Commitment
to College Access & Affordability in Massachusetts
Board of Higher Education | January 26, 2016

2. Commonwealth Commitment
Campuses Show theWay
2
 Campus regional agreements inspire state-level thinking
 BHE action on MassTransfer, TuitionWaiver also key
 Statewide goal: Leverage public interest in affordability
with high-profile plan to help meet state’s need for more
degree holders
 Challenge: Can we reach agreement across all three segments
in a matter of weeks?

3. Commonwealth Commitment
 Meetings at Framingham
State and UMass Lowell,
late December & early January
 All three segments
represented:
 Campus leaders
 Provosts
 CFOs
 Faculty
 Campuses draft
“guiding principles,”
input for draft agreement
Campuses ComeTogether
3

4. Commonwealth Commitment
 Urgent need for more MA degree-holders
 Tiny cohort of first-time, full-time Community College students who
earn AA/AS and BA/BS from MA State U or UMass in 4 years
▪ Only 89 students, or 0.7% of 2011 community college entering cohort
 Need to incentivize students to attend full time
WhyWe Need a New “Commitment”
4
-
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Projected Graduates vs. Projected Workforce Need
Source: “Job Growth and Education RequirementsThrough 2020,” GeorgetownCenter on Education and theWorkforce
Shortfall in Bachelor’s Graduates from Massachusetts Public Higher Education
Shortfall in Associate Graduates from Massachusetts Public Higher Education

5.  Framed by BHE
mission to:
“…ensure that Massachusetts
residents have the opportunity
to benefit from a higher
education that enriches their
lives and advances their
contributions to
the civic life, economic
development and
social progress of
the Commonwealth.”
 Majors: Students entering
16 MassTransfer Pathways
degree programs (rolling out
in Fall ‘16 and Fall ‘17)
 Transfer timeline:
Eligible to transfer
from 2-year to 4-year
institutions after 2.5 years
 Academic standards:
Requires cumulative
GPA of 3.0
Commonwealth Commitment
Program at a Glance
5

6. Commonwealth Commitment
Starting Fall 2016
1. Biology
2. Chemistry
3. Economics
4. History
5. Political Science
6. Psychology
Eligible Degree Programs
6
7. Business
8. Criminal Justice
9. Communications &
Media Studies
10. Computer Science
11. Early Childhood
Education
Special Mission Institutions: MassArt, Mass Maritime
 to offer alternative programs
 transfer from CC’s at 1.5 years
12. English
13. Liberal Arts
14. Mathematics
15. Sociology
16. STEM Foundation
Starting Fall 2017
Pathways

7. Commonwealth Commitment
 Several possible UMass models
 Cape Cod Community College  UMass Dartmouth
▪ Four business, liberal arts programs
▪ $30k price
 Any Community College  UMass Lowell
▪ $30k for transfer to UML online degree programs
▪ $35k for transfer to Haverhill campus programs
 Any Community College 
UMass Amherst/UniversityWithout Walls
▪ Strong faculty advising
▪ Individually designed degrees that can align with
MassTransfer Pathways programs
▪ $30k price
Engagement with UMass
7

8. Commonwealth Commitment
 Under discussion: 10% discount to students, payable at end of
each completed semester, available for those entering Fall ‘16
through Fall ‘17
 Savings for students; faster pathway to degree completion
 Example #1: RCC  UMB: $32,880 – 10% = $29,592
 Example #2: GCC  MMA: $28,224 – 10% = $25,402
 Alternate plan: Fixed 4-year degree price, with or without
discount, but…
 Benefits some institutions more than others
 Would need to be revisited every few years
 Context: Campus commitment to students in tight budget year
 Significant savings for students, dependent on “stable & predictable state
funding” to safeguard academic excellence, provide necessary supports
Costs & Exposures
8

9. Commonwealth Commitment
 Plan created from ground up, not
imposed from top down (as inTX, FL)
 No other state taking this approach ,
say AAC&U, SHEEO
 Potential to:
 Raise system profile
 Boost enrollment
 Improve completion rates,
rate of degree production
 Help meetVision Project goals to
deliver “best-educated citizenry and
workforce in the nation”
Benefits
9

10. Questions & Discussion
Commonwealth Commitment
10