About the Office of Student Financial Assistance

Photo from Massachusetts Bay Communitty College.

The mission of the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) is to promote and enhance access and success in higher education through the delivery of quality financial aid resources and services to residents of the Commonwealth, ensuring that all individuals who desire it, have an opportunity to enrich their lives and contribute to the economic and social progress of the state.

OSFA is primarily responsible for the management and oversight of all state-funded financial aid programs and related initiatives and advises the Board of Higher Education regarding financial aid policy matters of concern to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. OSFA’s efforts, as guided by the DHE’s Equity Agenda, prioritizes resources to low-income and Students of Color, through a cache of need-based financial aid programs and services, designed to increase the postsecondary success of these students. Resident students enrolled in public and private postsecondary institutions of higher education are assisted by OSFA.

In addition to its financial aid responsibilities, OSFA is an essential division of the DHE for promoting access to higher education through early awareness initiatives that foster the recognition of college as a viable postsecondary option and the availability of resources to help students and families meet college costs.  GEAR UP, a federally funded program, is OSFA’s primary initiative that seeks to increase student success, by serving low-income students in high need communities across the state. GEAR UP partners with high schools to increase the number of low-income students who obtain a secondary school diploma and are prepared to succeed in postsecondary education.