Framingham State University has been awarded $1,315,502 in SUCCESS funding from the Healey-Driscoll Administration for the specific intent of boosting student support and raising graduation rates. 

The funding will support a wide range of initiatives, including the cost of an additional academic advisor, two new career counselors, as well as expansion of the physical space on campus dedicated to mentoring, advising and tutoring students. The money is also going to support professional development training for faculty advisors and an expansion of the University’s data and assessment infrastructure.

“We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for providing this critical funding,” says Framingham State University President Nancy S. Niemi. “Supporting student success is at the center of everything we do. These resources will enable us to provide additional dedicated mentoring and tutoring to students who need it, while also allowing us to better assess the underlying issues that lead to student success barriers so that we can intervene earlier.”

The $1.3 million award is FSU’s share of a $14 million grant from the Commonwealth’s fiscal year 2025 budget to support student success programming at Massachusetts’ nine state universities. 

This is the first time that Massachusetts is extending SUCCESS funding to state universities;, the funding has been available to community colleges since 2022. This type of funding contributed to a 10-percentage point increase in overall MA community college student retention from fall 2022 to fall 2023. 

“To best support our students, we know that we need to help them get both to and through college,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We’ve made progress in making it more affordable for students to enroll in college, and this program will now lift barriers that arise on the way to graduation, especially for first-generation college students who cannot draw on a parent’s experience to navigate earning a degree.”   

Framingham State has experienced a large increase in first-generation students in recent years. More than 50 percent of the undergraduate student population at FSU are the first in their families to attend college.

"These students bring resilience, determination, and fresh perspectives to our campus, and we know they have everything it takes to thrive,” says Niemi. “We also recognize that they may encounter unique challenges along the way—navigating course requirements within their major, finding mentorship, or simply feeling like they belong. That’s why we are deeply committed to providing the guidance, resources, and support they need to succeed.”