Springfield City Wire

College tuition fees rose 4.3% in Hampden County in the 2022-23 school year, according to the latest disclosure from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Data shows that students paid $21,489 on average to attend higher education courses at the time, $880 more than the previous school year.

Among the eight institutions in the county, Western New England University stood out with the highest tuition fees, reaching an average of $44,500. Springfield College followed with an average of $41,694 per year. Holyoke Community College students were offered the lowest annual tuition fees at $5,619.

At the time, a total of $59.8 million in grants or scholarships were awarded to full-time undergraduates who started at the Hampden County universities in the 2022-23 school year. Additionally, federal student loans reached $16.8 million.

Currently there are eight higher education institutions in Hampden County, including Western New England University, American International College, and Springfield College.

Undergraduate education costs have seen a significant increase over the past few decades. Data shows a 169% rise in the average total cost, including tuition, fees, room, and board, between 1980 and 2020.

According to a 2023 College Board report, in-state students at public universities paid an average of $11,260, while out-of-state students paid $29,150 in the 2023-24 academic year.

Meanwhile, student loan debt has steadily increased over the last 30 years, reaching $1.75 trillion in 2024, averaging a total of $28,950 per borrower. Federal loans make up 92% of the debt, with over half of students at both public and private four-year colleges graduating with student loans.

Available data sometimes exceeds 100% due to rounding and administrative calculations.

Institution	Number of Students Receiving Grants	Total Amount of Grants Received	Average Amount of Grant Per Student	Number of Students Receiving Loans	Total Amount of Loans Received	Average Amount of Loans Per Student
Springfield College	515	$14,840,567	$28,817	395	$3,593,141	$9,097
College of Our Lady of the Elms	144	$4,466,207	$31,015	109	$851,220	$7,809
Westfield State University	649	$5,455,528	$8,406	548	$4,302,818	$7,852
American International College	324	$11,018,840	$34,009	276	$1,989,985	$7,210
Holyoke Community College	241	$1,572,516	$6,525	89	$392,481	$4,410
Bay Path University	119	$3,834,991	$32,227	89	$641,342	$7,206
Springfield Technical Community College	385	$2,452,830	$6,371	94	$397,036	$4,224
Western New England University	589	$16,109,948	$27,351	532	$4,617,325	$8,679