Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey Tuesday credited the state’s nascent free community college program for nontraditional students with nearly doubling enrollment among those eligible. MassReconnect, launched last August, covers the cost of community college for state residents 25 and older who don’t have a degree. In the 2023-24 academic year, Massachusetts’s 15 community colleges enrolled 8,411 students in this age group, up 45% from the year before. The initiative also drove an increase in completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is a requirement for participation, the governor’s office said. Among students 25 and older, 86% filled out the form in fall 2023, up from 79% the year prior.
