Notice of Adams Scholarship Policy Change for Immigrant Students

A new Massachusetts Board of Higher Education Policy adopted on October 27, 2015 allows noncitizens “authorized by the federal government to live and work in the United States on a temporary or permanent basis” to use the Adams Scholarship, a scholarship awarded to graduating Massachusetts high school students who scored in the top 25% of their school district on MCAS. The policy will be implemented on January 1, 2016. 

Previously, this scholarship was limited to U.S. citizens and noncitizens eligible for federal Title IV financial aid, a narrow group. Others were not allowed to benefit from the scholarship. The new policy means that immigrant students who have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), U visas, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or other types of Deferred Action, and Withholding of Removal, and as well as students with an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) or similar federal immigration documents may now qualify for the Scholarship. The Adams Scholarship waives tuition for up to eight semesters at any Massachusetts public university, state college, or community college. The tuition benefit must be used within six years of your high school graduation.