Issue Position: Making Higher Education More Affordable

Issue Position

An innovative, affordable higher education system is vital to Massachusetts' future as an economic leader. But students and their families worry more and more each year about how to pay for college. Tuition and fees at Massachusetts Universities have increased significantly since 2009. In the 2015-2016 academic year, 73% of graduates from Massachusetts public colleges and universities had taken out loans, and the amount borrowed has risen substantially since 2004. The financial effects of student debt last for decades. Graduates must devote financial resources to paying down debt, so they wait longer to buy homes, start families, and open businesses. As college debt can frequently take decades to pay off, families struggle to plan for retirement and fund their own children's education. The result is a drain on our economy and fewer opportunities for future generations.

I will advocate for increases in funding to our public colleges and universities and state scholarship programs. To address current debt, I will advocate for programs that encourage employers to help their workers with debt assistance programs. By implementing these two solutions, we can help Massachusetts families pay for college and pave a path to financial stability for past and future graduates.

Massachusetts has the best K-12 public schools in the nation, but since 2008, a growing number of our high school graduates have chosen to attend college out-of-state. Building a strong economy in Massachusetts requires making sure the bright minds of tomorrow don't take their talents out of state when they graduate from high school. By increasing investment in our colleges and universities and making higher education more affordable, we can keep the innovators of tomorrow here in Massachusetts today to carry our state forward.

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