Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield, located less than a mile from the Massachusetts border, has begun a two-year pilot program where Massachusetts students will pay the same tuition as Connecticut residents.
The college will immediately begin offering this reduced rate to current and prospective students. In the fall 2015 semester, 6.5 percent of the school’s 1,573 students were from Massachusetts.
A spokesperson for the Connecticut State University System, which includes Asnuntuck, said in-state tuition for the 2016-17 year is $4,208, compared to a regional rate of $6,292, which means Massachusetts students will save $2,084. The college said it expects the initiative to increase enrollment and offset any projected revenue losses that would come with offering the tuition discount.
Asnuntuck President James Lombella said Asnuntuck has spent the last two years operating below enrollment capacity. Reductions to the college’s General Fund budget, coupled with a loss in enrollment-related revenue, has forced the college to dramatically reduce financial resources that would normally be put towards enhancing the student experience.
“Simply put, this initiative seeks to fill seats in classes that would otherwise remain empty,” he said.
