UMass Board of Trustees votes to freeze in-state student tuition

BOSTON — The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees voted on Wednesday to approve UMass President Marty Meehan’s proposal to freeze tuition for all in-state undergraduate and graduate students for the 2021-2022 academic year.

This will be the second consecutive year that tuition and mandatory fees will be frozen at UMass. UMass Boston, Dartmouth, and Lowell campuses also froze out-of-state student tuition.

“We recognize the real challenges that our students and their families continue to face due to the pandemic. We are committed to doing everything within our control to lessen the burden while also preserving the quality of a UMass education,” said UMass President Marty Meehan. “That is also why we have prioritized setting our tuition rates earlier this year so that we can provide some predictability to our students and families during an otherwise unpredictable year.”

Minus the financial aid, the net price of a UMass education remains consistent with other New England public land-grant universities and 31 percent below private institutions.

“This freeze was made possible by the active management of university finances at the system and campus levels,” said UMass Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Manning. “The decisions made over the last year have ensured that the university will emerge from the pandemic in a strong, stable financial condition.”

The university increased its institutionally funded financial aid to a record high of $352 million this fiscal year. The aid is funded directly by UMass and accounts for 40 percent of the total aid UMass students receive through the form of scholarships and grants.

25 percent of UMass students received Pell Grants at each of the universities. The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF II) is projected to provide $23 million to UMass to further support students.

Last year’s CARES Act provided $23 million in direct aid to students, but it was not included as financial aid.

“We remain focused on being careful stewards of the taxpayer and student dollars,” Meehan said. “We know that every dollar saved in our operations can be invested in our students through financial aid, stable tuition, and spending on core programs and services.

Cox Media Group