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According to the National Center for Education Statistics study from 2024, the average cost of college tuition & fees at public 4-year institutions has risen 141.0% over the last 20 years and private institutions have risen 181.3% over that same time period. Similarly, the cost of room and board has increased dramatically. Between 1999-2000 and 2022-23, the annual cost of the average dorm room has increased 174.6%. In the 21st Century, the rising costs of college have outpaced the rate of inflation by an average of 104.3% and by as much as 2,217% (2015).
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center recent data collected demonstrates that Hispanic students represent the highest increase of all demographic groups in college attendance from 2019-2024. This increase of Hispanic students is nearly double than any other demographic. Hispanic and Latino/a students are also the largest minority demographic, making up 19% of undergrads as of 2024. Another study by the Education Data Institute in 2022 showed attendance among this Hispanic demographic has increased by 884% relative to 1976 (through 2022). This is by far the largest enrollment growth.
Since 1980, college tuition and fees are up 1,200%. According to Forbes, the average cost of attending a four-year college or university in the United States rose by 497% between the 1985-86 and 2017-18 academic years, more than twice the rate of inflation. The cost of attending a traditional four-year university has been rising more than twice as fast as inflation, and two-year community colleges a third faster. Since 2020, Community Colleges enrollment in Massachusetts and nationwide have declined dramatically. The Boston Globe reports that some community colleges are missing a quarter or more of their students compared to before the pandemic. The sharpest drop in enrollment among community colleges statewide came at Roxbury Community College, which is down 35 percent from the fall of 2019. Cost is a major factor in the decreased enrollment at Community Colleges. Yet, 25% of community college students are Hispanic and Hispanics have seen the most significant increase in the attendance of community colleges, up 10% since 2008.
About 70% of Latino undergraduates in higher education come from families in the bottom half of earners, according to federal data analyzed by the college lobbying group the American Council on Education. Nearly half of Latino students are the first in their family to go to college, according to data analyzed by Excelencia. As first generation students, Hispanic and Latino families often struggle to realize the many challenges in navigating the college process from tuition, room and board costs and other expenses to the dizzying array and complex nature of scholarships, grants and loans offered.
Massachusetts Hispanic Scholarship Fund was founded to address some of the most challenging issues Hispanic students and families face in navigating scholarships while providing an impactful scholarship of its own. As a 501 c3 charitable organization we seek to work with high schools in the Commonwealth that have the largest Hispanic communities with the greatest need.
The number of Hispanic students enrolled in college rose from 3.17 million in 2016 to 3.27 million in 2017, making them the highest increase of all demographic groups in college attendance, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That’s nearly double the 1.4 million Latino students who attended college in 2000. About 70% of Latino undergraduates in higher education come from families in the bottom half of earners, according to federal data analyzed by the college lobbying group the American Council on Education. Nearly half of Latino students are the first in their family to go to college, according to data analyzed by Excelencia. As first generation students, Hispanic and Latino families often struggle to realize the many challenges in navigating the college process from tuition, room and board costs and other expenses to the dizzying array and complex nature of scholarships, grants and loans offered.
Massachusetts Hispanic Scholarship Fund was founded to address some of these most challenging issues, navigating scholarships and providing a simple scholarship of its own. As a 501c3 charitable organization we will do so across the Hispanic and Latino communities in Massachusetts most in need of better information and access to real scholarship dollars for college.
*Hispanic/Latino is an ethnic category, not a racial category, and you may be of any race but you must be from a family whose ancestors came from at least one of these countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
As part of the above scholarships, we focus on providing an outreach and education program to address the high cost of colleges for Massachusetts Hispanic students and families to help confront the challenges of navigating the complex scholarship process. We do this through introducing students and families to key scholarships targeted to this user base and education and assistance in applying. The program includes working with seniors, juniors as well as sophomores and their families at various times of the school year to address the cadence of the scholarship schedule through multiple events, direct sessions with the students and in collaboration with the guidance teams.
As part of the above scholarship, outreach to the focused high school on some key scholarships that are often underrepresented or unknown, but are fairly simple to apply and attain. The idea is to work with guidance counselors and set up information sessions for parents/guardians and students on key Hispanic scholarships to consider including: