GARDNER – Since the launch of the MassEducate and MassReconnect programs, Mount Wachusett Community College has seen a double digit increase in enrollment, reflecting a trend seen statewide.

MassEducate expands on MassReconnect, which was announced last year by the Healey-Driscoll Administration and offers free community college to Massachusetts residents 25 and older. MassEducate makes public community college free for students of any age and income in Massachusetts.

Anyone who has not yet earned a bachelor’s degree is now eligible to attend any one of the commonwealth’s 15 public community colleges and pay no tuition or fees. In addition, students may qualify for an allowance of up to $1,200 for books and supplies based on income level. Some students may also be eligible for an additional allowance (up to $1,200) to help with other costs of attending college.

“This is a really important step. I think we’re the 35th state to have a free community college program,” said Dr. James Vander Hooven, president of Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner. “I think it’s going to have really amazing results, no only for the community colleges, but I think also for our economy, as well as eventual transfers to the state’s universities and UMass system.”

Vander Hooven noted that MassReconnect has spurred a significant increase in enrollment at “the Mount,” as the college is known. This spring semester saw a 22% jump in enrollment and the fall has seen a 17% increase.

“Where I think we’re going to see an even bigger result is in the spring semester coming up,” Vander Hooven said. “We’ve already seen a huge increase in applications. Once the word is out there that we have this available, I think it’s going to be a big deal.”

Asked if the two programs’ success could eventually strain the budgets and physical resources of community colleges, Vander Hooven replied, “That is a concern. However, the communication between the community college sector, the commissioner of higher ed, and the Legislature has been very, very positive on that front.”

Vander Hooven added that the pool of potential community college students is limited.

“I don’t think that in the long term it’s just going to keep going up and up and up and up,” he said. “I think it will level off once we have a certain point. The goal isn’t just to say we’re going to have 100% more students. The goal is to provide access to folks who have previously been unable to access higher education.”

For potential students from the Gardner and North Quabbin areas, Vander Hooven recommended MWCC as a convenient resource for laying the foundation of a career or entry into a four-year college or university.

“I think that when you look at the jobs that are available in north-central Massachusetts,” he said, “the community college has been working very closely with all of our chambers of commerce in the region to make sure that the degree programs we offer present almost immediate opportunities for our graduates.”

The deadline for applications for the spring semester is Nov. 1. Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact the admissions office at 978-630-9447 or email admissions@mwcc.edu.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.