BFIT Joins Boston’s Tuition-Free College Program

March 20, 2019

Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology has become the first private college to join the City of Boston’s Tuition-Free Community College program, which offers low-income Boston public school graduates free college tuition.

The program lets students attend the partnering colleges at no cost for three years if they maintain a 2.0 grade point average and enroll a year after obtaining their high school diploma, GED, or HiSET.

Mayor Martin Walsh joined BFIT President Anthony Benoit at the college’s South End campus to announce the tuition free partnership.

“It’s the third year [of the Tuition-Free program],” Walsh said. “We’re expanding now to a private institution. So, it’s kind of like we’re taking the next step because we’re seeing the success of the program.”

The program kicks off at BFIT for the Fall 2019 term and is open to both current students and incoming students. To be eligible, you must:

• Graduate from a Boston public or charter high school or earn a GED or HiSET within one year of starting the program
• Be a Boston resident
• Have a grade-point average of at least 2.0
• Be accepted to a BFIT degree program (certificate programs are not eligible)
• Be fully eligible for a Pell Grant, as determined by the FAFSA
• Require no more than three developmental courses by the start of the semester

BFIT will grant a maximum of 30 Tuition-Free scholarships to new students each year. Students who are notified by the Financial Aid team that they qualify for the Tuition-Free program must enroll at BFIT and register for classes by July 15.

The program is funded by the Neighborhood Jobs Trust, which collects linkage fees on large commercial developments in Boston.

The free college program aims to help people with diverse and low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Fully 93 percent of BFIT students receive federal aid.

“The average student who comes here comes from a background of very low income,” said Benoit. “It’s really a huge step forward. This program will make this opportunity available to more people.”

There are 316 student participants in the Tuition-Free program to date. In addition to BFIT, the program is available to students at Bunker Hill Community College and Roxbury Community College in Boston, and at MassBay Community College in Wellesley. Walsh said he hopes the program will expand statewide.