Massachusetts Alliance for Early College Launches with BHCC as Partner Institution
College looks to build on program success as a founding member of the new statewide coalition
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Over the last several years, Early College programs have been a game-changer for Massachusetts students. The program offers tuition-free access to college courses and a path to an associate degree to high school students in communities historically underserved by higher education.
Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is one of 80 partner institutions across Massachusetts to announce the launch of the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College (MA4EC), a coalition of high schools, colleges, community organizations, businesses, and foundations collaborating to substantially increase Early College enrollment across the Commonwealth.
BHCC was among the first colleges in the Commonwealth to be designated an Early College Higher Education Partner and has a long and successful history in providing Early College access to students in the local communities the college serves (known collectively as Boston+) including Chelsea, Malden, and Boston Public Schools. At the start of the current school year, BHCC enrolled more than 240 Early College students across four high schools (Charlestown High School, Chelsea High School, Madison Park Vocational Technical High School, and Malden High School). More than 80% of those students identified as people of color and 56% identified as Hispanic. The program has also forged a track record of student success: more than 40% of BHCC Early College students have earned a college GPA of more than 3.01, and as of the 2020-21 school year, ten students have earned a Bunker Hill Community College associate degree at the same time as their high school diploma.
According to MA4EC, approximately 4,500 students are enrolled in Early College across the state– much of that enrollment coming after the State Board of Higher Education and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education began officially designating Early College programs in 2017. The Alliance has set a goal of increasing Early College enrollment to 45,000 students by 2027.
BHCC is proud to partner with MA4EC to grow Early College enrollment and access to college for students across the Commonwealth. To learn more about the Alliance, visit MA4EC.org. For more information about Early College at BHCC, visit our Early College webpage.
Media Contact:
About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. The College offers associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific training programs. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).