Thousands of Mass. students receive free college tuition
MALDEN, Mass. (AP) — Nearly 17,500 high school seniors in Massachusetts will get four years of free tuition at state colleges and universities because of their high test scores.
The students — nearly 500 more than last year — have been awarded the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship from the state.
To earn the scholarship, they must score "advanced" on either the math or English portions of the MCAS exams and at least "proficient" on the other. They also must score in the top 25 percent of their district.
In Massachusetts, tuition ranges from about $750 for community colleges to more than $1,600 at the University of Massachusetts. Students still must pay for fees, books and other expenses, which can cost up to $8,000 a year.
