First College Tuition Rebate Program In The US Starts In Massachusetts

The state of Massachusetts offered tuition rebates to full-time students who start their studies at a community college and finish a bachelor's degree at a state university. The rebate program, known as the Commonwealth Commitment, is the first in the country and is estimated to provide an average savings of $5,090 for a four-year degree.

Commonwealth Commitment offers a 10-percent rebate on tuition and fees at the end of each semester. Tuition and fees will be frozen at the rate at which students entered the program while the program will be phased for two academic years.

Students must complete an associate's degree at one of the state's 15 community college for two years. After which, the student will be required to transfer to a state university to complete a bachelor's degree for two and a half years. Students are also required to maintain at least a cumulative grade point average of 3.0, according to Huffington Post.

Students will have the option to choose one of the 24 majors being offered. Unfortunately, engineering and nursing are not included in the majors being offered due to their high costs.

Students who attend school on a part-time basis would not be eligible for the program since they would not be likely to complete their degrees in less than five years. Education officials also say that switching majors may be difficult due to the extra courses required in the adjustment.

Commonwealth Commitment will help more students have the financial flexibility to earn degrees in a timely fashion, according to Marty Meehan president of the University of Massachusetts. Meehan said that many students often end up enrolling in a community college due to the challenges in funding.

The college tuition rebate program was designed to lessen the costs of college education and accelerate the on-time completion of college degrees, according to Governor Charlie Baker. The program is intended to force young people to complete schools faster and get to the workforce sooner.

Baker also explained that the Commonwealth Commitment will also create more opportunities and help more people get into the workforce with adequate skills. Aside from benefitting students, the program would also benefit employers based in Massachusetts as they face a shortage of qualified college graduates, according to ABC News.