Massachusetts’ universally free community college program has accomplished one important goal: It boosted school enrollment.

After years of decline, the number of students at community colleges increased by 8.7 percent in 2023, the first year of free college for students age 25 and older, followed by a projected 14 percent increase this fall, according to preliminary data released by the Department of Higher Education on Tuesday. Overall, enrollment in public higher education was expected to rise 6.5 percent this year, reversing years of declines, with enrollment virtually flat at the University of Massachusetts and a 1.2 percent increase at other state universities .

However, the next challenge that education and college officials must address is keeping students in school until graduation. There, the latest data is much less encouraging. Only 55.1 percent of students entering public higher education in Massachusetts will graduate with a degree or certificate anywhere in the United States within six years, according to the data. DHE.

At community colleges, only 34 percent of students who entered in 2017 graduated with a degree or certificate by 2023, a number that has remained flat for six years. State universities (excluding UMass) have seen a multi-year downward trend in the number of students who earn credits on time, persist from year to year, and graduate with a degree. For the entering class of 2017, 69 percent earned a degree or certificate within six years, down from 72.9 percent five years earlier. UMass performs best on these metrics, with 77.4 percent of students earning a degree within six years.

The data also identify persistent racial disparities, with fewer black and Hispanic students earning degrees compared to white students in public higher education. Lower-income students—those eligible for federal Pell grants—also have lower completion rates than higher-income students.

Completion is important because someone who earns a degree or certificate is more likely to find a job and earn higher wages. A report by the Boston Foundation, MassINC and the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy found that community college offers a path to economic mobility, with the greatest benefits for those who earn a degree.

So how can schools better retain students? Two key ways are ensuring students can afford their education and providing comprehensive support services — such as advising and academic mentoring — to help students get ahead.

The state has already invested in affordability by making community college free and increasing financial aid for low- and middle-income students at state universities. More could be done to increase aid eligibility for middle-income students or provide larger scholarships for needs like childcare and transportation. A report recently released by State Advisory Council for the Advancement of Representation in Education suggests using financial aid to incentivize full-time attendance and increase the availability of need-based rather than merit-based aid.

Equally important is the focus on support services. Advisory Board report calls for the provision of evidence-based services such as individualized counseling and coaching, mental health care, emergency financial aid, and help with issues such as housing and food insecurity.

Some of this work is ongoing. The Legislature created a grant program in 2021 to support students who are economically disadvantaged, first-generation, minority, have a disability or are LGBTQ. Early results they are promising. A study by the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges found that 63 percent of program participants in 2022 persisted from one year to the next, compared to 53 percent of their peers.

The current state budget includes $14 million to provide similar grants at four-year state universities for the first time. It’s a good thing. Vincent Pedone, executive director of the Council of Presidents of Massachusetts State Universities, said the campuses have been working on ideas for using that money, including purchasing early warning software systems to identify troubled students, hiring academic coaches, offering money emergency if a student needs financial aid. , or training faculty to work with first-generation students.

A model worth examining is in New York. The City University of New York created the ASAP program in 2007, which provides students with three years of intensive financial and academic support at a community college if they attend school full-time and participate in programs. After three years, 40 percent of ASAP participants had earned an associate’s degree, compared with 22 percent of comparable nonparticipants, according to the data an independent study. After eight years, 52 percent of ASAP participants have earned an associate’s degree, compared to nearly 40 percent of their peers.

A version of the program for students seeking a bachelor’s degree was piloted at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2015 and a study found similarly positive results in helping students stay in school.

Three Ohio community colleges that have adopted programs modeled after ASAP reported increases by 50 percent in graduation rates, higher bachelor’s degree attainment rates, and increased post-college earnings.

A group of Massachusetts education advocacy organizations — the Hildreth Institute, Latinos for Education, EdTrust and others — incentive Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler to learn from New York programs. Advocates told the editorial board that New York’s programs are more centralized and standardized than those in Massachusetts, with all colleges implementing the same evidence-based practices, such as dedicated ASAP counselors, career counselors and guidance services.

Another potential model is Georgia State University, which uses predictive analytics and tracks each student’s course enrollment and performance through software. The system flags when a student enrolls in a course that does not apply to their degree or earns a poor grade in a prerequisite course. An advisor will intervene so that a student can enroll in another course or seek academic help.

Getting students in the door to college is the first step. The goal should be to get them out of college with a degree two or four years later.

Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.