Worcester Public Schools and the city’s Assumption University have teamed up to create a scholarship package and fellowship program to make higher education more accessible for WPS students and employees.
With the partnership, known as Worcester Together, Assumption will offer scholarships to every WPS student admitted to the university for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. Additionally, WPS employees will be eligible to receive 50% off the cost of most master’s degrees, Certificate of advanced graduate studies, and other certificate programs available at Assumption’s School of Graduate Studies, according to a Jan. 23 press release from WPS.
WBJ has reached out to Assumption for more details on the scholarship amounts.
High school students will receive a campus visit day at Assumption with transportation and lunch included along with college search and financial aid workshops for their families.
“Assumption is proud to call Worcester home, and deeply values our partnership with Worcester Public Schools,” Assumption President Greg Weiner said in the release. “This new initiative will strengthen that partnership and ensure that what is most important to both parties, educating young people and equipping them to pursue lives of meaning, leadership, and service, is always our top priority.”
The partnership will establish the Worcester Fellowship Program, offering free graduate courses to WPS employees and increasing the number of Assumption students working as interns in the school system.
“Not only will this collaboration provide easier access to a university for our current students, it simultaneously invests in the professional growth of our staff and strengthens the foundation of our district and city. We are grateful to Assumption University and President Greg Weiner for their shared commitment to preparing Worcester Public Schools students and staff for the future,” WPS Superintendent Brian Allen said in the release.
Tuition for a first year residential student at the Catholic liberal arts school for the 2026 to 2027 school year is $54,070, with the total cost of attendance totalling $75,730. The total cost of attendance for a first year commuter student is estimated to be $60,830, according to Assumption’s website.
Founded in 1904, Assumption University is the ninth-largest college or university in Central Massachusetts with 1,810 full-time students enrolled in fall 2024, according to data collected by WBJ’s Research Department.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare, manufacturing, and higher education industries.
