BOSTON, Mass. (SHNS)--The program meant to give students a head start on their college enrollment is expanding, which officials say will save students money, make them more likely to attend college than their peers and increase lifelong earning potential. University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan said Wednesday that the system is adding five new high schools in western Massachusetts to the early college initiative, as part of his promise to triple enrollment in the program overall in the next five years. Flat enrollment, aging buildings challenge UMass The university's early college initiative, the Commonwealth Collegiate Academy, launched in 2022 with about 170 students at seven schools, mainly focused on so-called Gateway Cities, or lower-income urban communities with high populations of immigrants and people of color. The new push has a focus on reaching rural communities as well as urban schools, partnering UMass Amherst with five western Massachusetts high schools: Easthampton High School, Granby High School, Hopkins Academy in Hadley, as well as The Renaissance School and Libertas Academy, both in Springfield. Meehan promised in March to boost enrollment to 2,000 students by 2029 -- a major increase from the almost 600 students enrolled through 11 high schools during the 2023-2024 school year. Last academic year, students who enrolled in early college with UMass Dartmouth and UMass Lowell earned a total of 2,307 free credits -- representing about $1 million in tuition savings, according to UMass, which said these students are more likely to attend college in the future with a head start both academically and financially. This fall, more than 1,125 students from 22 high schools will be enrolled in early college programs. "Early college programs can give non-traditional students the confidence they need to thrive in a college environment and a financial head start by earning credits at no cost to them, but university benefits as well, and we are pleased that so many of our early college students are choosing a UMass campus after they graduate," Meehan said. The Legislature and Gov. Maura Healey dedicated $30 million in the fiscal year 2025 budget for all early college programs.