UMass Early College expansion and designations bring free college credit to more high school students
Early College students showing success at UMass campuses
BOSTON – Early college programs at UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth, and UMass Lowell received state designation approval today, expanding opportunities for more high school students to earn college credits at no cost and start on a path to an affordable UMass degree before they graduate high school.
Early college exposes students to college-level work and provides academic supports designed to encourage more economically disadvantaged, underrepresented, and first-generation students to enroll in higher education.
The Early College Joint Committee of the Boards of Higher Education and Elementary and Secondary Education voted today, June 18, to approve designation for early college partnerships between:
- UMass Boston and Margarita Muñiz Academy in Jamaica Plain
- UMass Boston and TechBoston Academy in Boston
- UMass Dartmouth and B.M.C. Durfee High School in Fall River
- UMass Dartmouth and New Bedford High School
- UMass Dartmouth and Argosy Collegiate in Fall River
- UMass Lowell and Billerica High School
- UMass Lowell and Methuen High School
Early college gives high school students opportunities to earn transferable college credits for free, with some students in Massachusetts earning up to two years’ worth of college credits before they graduate high school. A 2023 study from MassInc shows that early college doubles the likelihood that students enroll in college and persist in higher education.
“We are very grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their support of these programs and continued efforts to expand access and affordability to higher education. Early college gives students the knowledge, experience, and confidence they need to thrive in college while also providing them with a financial head-start with the credits they earn at no cost to them or their families. Early college is changing thousands of students’ lives by eliminating barriers to college,” UMass President Marty Meehan said. “Across our UMass campuses, we are working hard to expand opportunities and create innovative paths so more Massachusetts students can access a world-class UMass education.”
“Early college programs are one of the most powerful tools we have to close opportunity gaps and open doors to a brighter future for students across the Commonwealth,” said UMass Board of Trustees Chair Stephen Karam. “The UMass Board is proud to support these efforts, which reflect our deep commitment to access, equity, and student success.”
During his 2024 State of the University speech, President Meehan pledged to triple early college enrollment at UMass to serve more than 2,000 students over the next five years and broaden its reach to more communities. UMass early college has saved students an estimated $7.5 million in tuition costs since the program’s inception.
“UMass Boston strongly embraces measures that expand early college opportunities and enhances access to them,” UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco said. “Early college can be transformational for high school students looking to pursue a college degree, providing a no-cost, high-quality pathway to success. Early college furthers our mission as an urban public university.”
“I am grateful for the Commonwealth’s continued investment in early college programs,” said UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Mark A. Fuller. “These programs empower students to see themselves as college-ready and give them a head start on achieving their educational and career goals.”
"Early college courses provide so many great benefits for students. They broaden horizons while helping students to see their potential to perform at a college level," said UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. "At the same time, students become acquainted with our university and faculty, all while getting ahead and making their own college journeys more affordable. We are incredibly grateful for the partnerships with high schools in our community that engage students in these rewarding opportunities."
UMass launched early college programs in the Fall 2022 with less than 200 students at seven partner high schools. This year UMass taught college courses to approximately 1,200 students from 22 high schools across all four undergraduate campuses. In September 2024, UMass Amherst launched an early college pilot program that provides students at five high schools in Western Massachusetts opportunities to take UMass college courses.
UMass early college programs create a positive effect on student outcomes. During 2024-2025 academic year, more than 90 percent of students in UMass early college courses completed their course with a passing grade. For the upcoming Fall 2025 semester, 342 early college students have been accepted so far at the UMass campus where they studied during high school, and 49 out of 50 students from Greater Lowell Tech accepted to UMass Lowell for this fall semester participated in the early college program. Early college students who enrolled at UMass Dartmouth in 2023 persisted at a rate 20 percent higher than the overall first year class.