Massachusetts
Even middle-income families in Massachusetts struggle to pay for college – The Boston Globe
“Gig work is a blessing to people like me,” Strouth said. Still, her son graduated with about $90,000 in student loans.
While college tuition is broadly affordable for the rich, who have the wherewithal to pay the bills, and many poor students qualify for significant financial aid, especially at the wealthiest schools and state institutions, it’s a calamity for those in the middle. They face stratospheric prices but aren’t likely to get much help from colleges or the government.
The sticker price for a year at a private college in Massachusetts now exceeds the annual salary of most middle-income earners in the state. College officials say only the wealthiest families pay the full amount, but for those earning $150,000 to $200,000, which is at the upper end of the middle income range in the Boston area, the expected yearly contribution is often north of $30,000 a year, and can be much higher depending on the school.
“What the college thinks you need and what you think you need are often very different figures,” said Shannon Barry Vasconcelos, a college finance coach with Bright Horizons, the child care provider that also advises families on educational matters, including college admissions. “It can be a problem for those families who fall in the middle.”
New research from Phillip Levine at the Brookings Institution found price increases have made it especially difficult for families on the lower portion of the “higher-end of the income distribution,” Levine said in an interview.
“That is a range that has the most difficulty affording those increases,” Levine said. “They’re subject to the greatest extent of price increases, with income levels that can’t strongly support that.”
The high cost of living in Massachusetts also makes it hard for families to save when kids are young, as experts say they should. Day care costs are exorbitant, sometimes as much or even more than a year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. College tuition and housing are costlier in the Northeast, too — families in the region spent an average of $33,668 on higher education last year, 20 percent more than the national average, according to a 2023 report from student loan provider Sallie Mae.
The Globe checked six popular universities’ online price calculators to see what each school would charge a hypothetical family of four earning $170,000 a year, the equivalent of two average public school teacher salaries, with a $600,000 home, roughly the average Massachusetts home value, and college savings of $20,000. The findings show they could expect to pay anywhere from $32,600 a year to attend Williams College to $45,800 a year for Boston College. UMass Amherst’s price, which falls in between, still costs close to $3,000 a month. And many families have more than one child to put through school.
To be sure, affording college can be even more challenging for some lower middle income and poor families, particularly if they attend colleges with less robust resources for aid. Financial aid for lower-income families is easier to come by at some of the most selective colleges, though, especially for strong students; those from households earning less than $85,000 a year do not pay anything at all to attend well-endowed schools in the region, including Harvard College. And last fall, Governor Maura Healey stepped in to help less affluent families afford public institutions; she expanded the state’s MASSGrant Plus program, which now covers tuition, fees, and books for students eligible for federal Pell Grants at public universities, and reduces the cost for middle-income families.
Still, many middle- and upper middle-income families have fewer options and often find themselves resorting to large loans.
Although Strouth wishes she and her son did not have to turn to loans, especially private ones with high interest rates, Strouth, whose parents were Cornell University graduates who emphasized the importance of higher education, gets frustrated when she hears people say “you shouldn’t go to a school you can’t afford.”
“That really shouldn’t be the deciding factor,” Strouth said. “If your kid is fortunate enough to get into the school of their dreams, that you know is going to lead to more success, if you can just get through the next four years … as a parent, you need to figure it out.”
Laurie and Tom Stanley in Medford tried to plan, but looking back, they say, their efforts to save were almost laughable. They put away $30 a week — $10 per child — for future college costs while their three daughters were growing up, plus whatever else they could scrape together, ultimately saving $16,000 for each of their daughters’ college educations.
“We saved every single dime that we could,” said Laurie Stanley, a nurse at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “We collected bottles and cans, and we’d go weekly to the liquor store [to redeem them] … every penny we found, their birthday money — everything went into their education accounts.”
Two of their daughters decided to live at home for college to save money and commute to the University of Massachusetts Boston and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
“We wanted them to come out with good jobs, but with minimal or no loans,” Stanley said.
The couple, who are nearing retirement, have spent $100,000 on sending their youngest daughter, Emily, to a much more expensive school, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, to study aerospace engineering. They had to dip into their retirement savings to pull it off, said Tom Stanley, a teacher at Lynn Classical High School. Emily, who is currently working as a substitute teacher at her father’s school, recently applied to finish her studies at UMass Lowell while living at home.
“My only regret is the money,” she said. “As cool as it was to go to school out of state, it’s just too expensive.”
The Stanleys said they spoke with their kids candidly about the high costs of college — something families today are increasingly doing, compared to past generations, said Karen E. Van Voorhis, a financial planner based in Norwell.
“It’s become much more of a collaborative process,” Van Voorhis said.
David Thibault-Muñoz, a Gardner resident who works at Mount Wachusett Community College, said his daughter took a practical approach in her college search. She enrolled at Framingham State last fall as a junior after completing a dual enrollment program in high school, graduating with an associate degree. The family is taking out loans to pay for the two years at Framingham State, which is about half the price of UMass Amherst, where she was also accepted.
“When a student graduates with a lot of debt, they’re several steps away from being able to save money to purchase a first car, to purchase a home,” Thibault-Muñoz said. “It’s harder for young people to get on their feet because they have this debt.”
Some Massachusetts parents continue to make big sacrifices to pay for college.
Juraci Capataz recently left a job she loves working for the Massachusetts attorney general’s office after just a year to earn a higher salary in the private sector so she can afford her son’s college tuition next year. Capataz, a Portuguese immigrant, said her son is hoping to study health care finance at the University of Connecticut next year, a program not offered at UMass.
The family is still waiting to receive their FAFSA information, but Capataz is not expecting much aid beyond loans based on their six-figure income level. UConn currently charges $58,092 for out-of-state students.
Capataz hopes her son could qualify for a lower regional price for residents of the Northeast outside Connecticut in a couple years if he commits to the program, which is not available at UMass.
“We aren’t poor enough for financial aid, not rich enough to write out a check,” Capataz said. “If I didn’t have this opportunity of a job that happened to fall onto my lap, the stress would be so much more.”
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
Even families that seem to be doing pretty well financially are worried about paying for college. Liz Polay-Wettengel works in public relations, earning about $130,000 a year; her husband David’s job at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt pays $90,000. The reality, though, is that the cost of living in Greater Boston is high, and most of their money goes to paying the bills, she said, not luxuries, and they have a high debt load.
They are still waiting for the financial aid information to come through, but they’re not likely to get much based on their salaries, Polay-Wettengel said. They’ve already decided they can’t afford one of their son’s top choices, Syracuse University, which posts a sticker price of $85,214 a year and has offered him no scholarships. Instead, he has committed to UMass Amherst, which will likely cost more than $140,000 over four years.
“We will figure it out somehow,” Polay-Wettengel said.
Hilary Burns can be reached at hilary.burns@globe.com. Follow her @Hilarysburns.
Massachusetts
Winners’ circle: Tracking every 2026 spring high school championship – The Boston Globe
Championship season is upon us, and we’re tracking every title winner in Massachusetts this spring.
From the golf sectionals in late May to championship weekend June 11-14, a four-day stretch in which 31 titlists will be crowned across boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, boys and girls’ tennis, boys’ and girls’ rugby, boys’ volleyball, softball, and baseball, we’ll have you covered.
Find all the dates, brackets, seedings, matchups, and links to our postseason previews here.
Follow us on X @GlobeSchools, Instagram @BGlobeSchools, and Facebook to stay up to date.
Over at Globe.com/Schools you’ll find our daily scoreboard, nightly Takeaways, game coverage, videos, live streams, and our weekly Varsity News newsletter (sign up for free) to keep you in the know.
Division 1: Lexington girls, St. John’s Prep boys
Lexington girls graduate to two-time Division 1 track champions, St. John’s Prep sprints to boys’ title
Division 2: Billerica girls, North Andover boys
Billerica girls unphazed by move up to Division 2, going back-to-back as North Andover boys dominate
Division 3: Canton girls, Walpole boys
Canton girls cap greatest season with first Division 3 track title, Walpole boys win by thinnest margin
Division 4: Duxbury girls, Newburyport boys
Historic win for Duxbury girls, Mohoric paces Newburyport boys to Division 4 outdoor track championship
Division 5: North Reading girls, Weston boys
It’s four in a row for North Reading girls, two straight for Weston boys at Division 5 track championships
Division 6: Ayer Shirley girls, Abington boys
Ayer Shirley girls pick up where they left off, Abington boys twinning at Division 6 track championships
Day 1, Divisions 1, 2, and 5: Lexington boys and girls setting the pace at Division 1 track & field championships
Day 1, Divisions 3, 4, and 6: Canton girls make a strong run to first at Division 3 track championships
South: Walpole | With Tori Adams as its driving force, Walpole scores third straight MIAA South girls’ golf championship
North/Central/West: Hopkinton | Concord-Carlisle’s Sophie Redmond, Hopkinton rule MIAA girls’ golf championship for North/Central/West
With titles for Natick and Peabody and smiles for all, MIAA unified track championship ‘beyond inspiring’
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
Massachusetts
Meteor Lands In Cape Cod + Bus Crash Kills 5 From MA + Wind Storm Knocks Out Power To Thousands: MA Weekend
MASSACHUSETTS — Residents throughout New England were simultaneously startled as a meteor that landed in Cape Cod caused a sonic boom this past weekend.
Meanwhile, a bus driver is facing charges after five Massachusetts residents died in a crash on a highway in Virginia.
Plus, another State Trooper was caught handling a wrong-way driver situation on Route 1.
Mysterious Boom Heard Across MA Was An Exploding Meteor, Experts Say
The noises were heard around 2:11 p.m. Saturday, with people describing a sudden bang that rattled windows and even shook some homes. The American Meteor Society said that the booms heard were actually caused by a meteor about three feet wide entering the atmosphere near the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Residents as far as Ipswich and Johnston, Rhode Island, reported hearing and feeling the sensations. Meteorologist Nick Stewart shared satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, showing where the meteor entered the atmosphere and combusted while traveling at 75,000 miles per hour above the ocean.
Bus Driver Charged After MA Family Of 4, Worcester Woman Killed In VA Crash
Jing S. Dong, of Staten Island, New York, now faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the collision, which occurred around 2:35 a.m. Friday on southbound I-95 near Quantico. Among those killed were a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, all from Greenfield, Massachusetts. All were in the Acura, which police said caught fire after the collisions. Police on Saturday evening identified the fifth person killed as Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, Massachusetts, who was riding in the Suburban struck by the bus.
In total, about 44 people were transported to area hospitals, including three with critical injuries.
State Trooper Hospitalized After Route 1 Wrong-Way Crash In Peabody
State Police said the trooper was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after police acted in coordination to protect traffic and stop the driver, who was traveling southbound on Route 1 North in Peabody. The incident occurred not far from the location on Route 1 where State Trooper Kevin Trainor was killed when his cruiser was hit head-on in a wrong-way crash in Lynnfield last month. The driver in Sunday’s crash was also hospitalized and charged with operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and driving the wrong way on a state highway.
Rapidly Expanding Grocery Chain Has Big Plans For MA
Sprouts Farmers Market is slated to launch up to 40 locations throughout the region in the coming years. Construction has begun for the first Massachusetts spot in Weymouth, which has an opening date of 2028. The Phoenix-based organic grocery chain has more than 480 stores in 25 states.
Saturday’s Meteorite Was ‘Fishy Squisher’ And NASA Knows Where To Find It In Cape Cod Bay
Data from NASA suggest fragments of the meteorite lie in waters from the middle of the bay to about 10 miles northeast of the town of Sandwich. The agency said late Saturday it picked up radar signatures of the fragments from four radar sites, and termed the strike a “fishy squisher.” The meteorite entered Earth’s atmosphere about 40 miles above the Bay State and southern New Hampshire, creating the sonic boom. Water in the bombarded portion of Cape Cod Bay is about 100 feet deep.
35K Without Power As Winter-Like Storm Pummels MA With 55+ MPH Winds
Massachusetts residents throughout the North Shore were without power on Saturday morning as a winter-like storm tore a path of tree damage, downpours, and fierce winds throughout New England. Widespread tree damage was reported across the state, with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reporting 34,228 customers without power as of 11:20 a.m. Wind speeds reached a high of 55 miles per hour. Temperatures dropped into the 40s with wind chills in the 30s as the storm arrived across the Bay State. The unsettled weather will continue through Monday and Tuesday before a warming trend takes hold later in the week.
See Also:
Cape Shoreline Named Among The Nation’s 10 Best, According To ‘Dr. Beach’
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, a moderate Massachusetts Democrat, secured enough delegate support Saturday to appear on the state’s primary ballot as he challenges incumbent U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in this year’s Senate race.
Yet even though Moulton cleared a key hurdle to continue his Senate bid, it was Markey who won the party’s endorsement after winning more than 50% of the delegation’s support.
“You have a choice, you have to decide what the future looks like and what you’re going to demand,” Markey said Saturday in front of more than 4,000 delegates.
Markey won nearly 73% of the delegates’ support, while Moulton won nearly 27% of the vote. Massachusetts Democratic Party rules require statewide candidates to get at least 15% of delegate support to appear on primary ballots.
In heavily Democratic Massachusetts, the Senate primary contest is one of the most closely watched in the country as Moulton, 47, has centered his campaign on changing the status quo and demanding a generational shift in leadership.
If reelected, Markey would be 80 before his third six-year term would begin. While Markey has touted his stamina and embrace of progressive policies, questions about age have continued to swirl around Democratic candidates as they fight to take back control of Congress.
Incumbent Sen. Ed Markey is leading Rep. Seth Moulton, but if Rep. Ayanna Pressley were to enter the Democratic primary, it would change the picture, according to a new poll from Suffolk University and The Boston Globe.
In his nomination speech, Moulton argued that the Democratic Party needed more than “incremental change” and needed to start anew.
“It’s time for the generation that grew up with the internet, and will have to live for decades with AI, to lead our way through it,” Moulton said.
Moulton only addressed his opponent briefly during his nomination speech, giving a passing nod on not waiting another six years for generational change and later calling on Markey to participate in multiple debates before the September primary. Currently, the two candidates have agreed to participate in one debate later this summer.
Markey, instead, took a more critical approach by attacking Moulton’s previous comments about transgender kids and accepting corporate PAC money.
“Massachusetts deserves better than a senator who scapegoats trans kids,” Markey said to loud cheers.
In 2024, Moulton caught flak from some members of his party for saying he didn’t want his daughters playing in sports against transgender girls. Critics said Moulton echoed Trump’s talking points against allowing transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.
Moulton has since said his intent with that statement “was to point out that, as a party, we need to be willing to have difficult conversations.”
Moulton, who enlisted in the Marines after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and served four tours of duty in Iraq, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. He briefly launched a 2020 presidential campaign, but he dropped that bid after a few months.
Markey served as a Massachusetts congressman for nearly 40 years before winning the Senate seat in 2013. He fended off a challenge in 2020 from Rep. Joe Kennedy III in the Senate primary by turning to his progressive allies to overcome a challenge from a younger rival from America’s most famous political family.
The Massachusetts primary is Sept. 1.
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