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UMass Lowell’s early college program for Methuen High School last week won state designation approval, allowing more students to earn college credits at no cost and start on a path to a UMass degree before they graduate high school.
The Early College Joint Committee of the Boards of Higher Education and Elementary and Secondary Education voted to approve designation for the early college partnerships.
“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.”
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.
“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.”
UMass launched early college programs in the fall of 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.