Romney Awards Free Tuition to 14,000 Massachusetts Students

ROMNEY AWARDS FREE TUITION TO 14,000 MASSACHUSETTS STUDENTS

Adams Scholarship helps make college more affordable for thousands of students

Governor Mitt Romney today congratulated over 14,000 Massachusetts high school students who qualify for four years of free tuition at any of the state's public colleges and universities. These students were among the top scorers on the MCAS exam, and will receive letters early next year notifying them that they are eligible for the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship Program.

Romney made the announcement in a visit to Lowell High School, where 127 seniors got the good news.

"Paying for college is one of the largest financial challenges facing Massachusetts families," said Romney. "For the second year in a row, I'm pleased to reward some of our most promising and hardworking students. When it comes to figuring out how much it will cost to send a son or daughter to college, the Adams scholarship will help ease some of that burden."

Romney established the merit-based Adams Scholarship Program last year to reward the best and the brightest students, encourage them to go on to higher education in Massachusetts and help families with the rising cost of college.

"These scholarships not only provide an incentive for students to do well in school, but also help ensure more of our kids are prepared to compete in the global economy," Romney added.

The Adams Scholarship Program is open to all public school students who score in the Advanced category in either the English or math section of the MCAS test and at least in the Proficient category on the other section by the end of their junior year. The students' MCAS scores must also rank in the top 25 percent of their school district to qualify.

Last year, 13,251 Massachusetts public high school seniors were notified of their eligibility for Adams Scholarships. The preliminary data this fall indicate 3,360 of these students used their scholarships by attending Massachusetts institutions of public higher education. This is approximately a 25% participation rate.

The data on the communities of these students should allay concerns that the Adams scholarships would disproportionately benefit students from wealthy suburbs. The 10 communities with the most participating Adams Scholars are:

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