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Massachusetts Community College Students Get More Career Coaching But Fewer Paid Internships, Report Finds
A new report shows that while 47% of Massachusetts community college students receive personalized career coachingânearly double the rate of four-year studentsâonly 12% land paid internships or relevant jobs, well below the national average and far behind bachelor's students.
Massachusetts community college students receive more personalized career coaching than their peers at four-year institutions, but they are far less likely to gain paid internships or relevant work experience, according to a new report from the Strada Education Foundation.
The 2026 State Opportunity Index, released Tuesday, found that 47% of Massachusetts students seeking an associate degree reported receiving personalized career coaching. That is higher than the national average for two-year college students and nearly twice the share of four-year college students in the state, based on a survey of nearly 110,000 U.S. college students conducted in 2025 and 2026.
Yet only 12% of associate-degree students in Massachusetts had participated in a paid internship or a job relevant to their field. The national average for two-year students was 14%. By contrast, 40% of bachelor's degree students in Massachusetts and 43% nationwide had gained relevant work experience.
The gap matters, the report's authors say, because students with less work experience are less competitive as they enter a challenging workforce in a high-cost state. The hurdles persist even as Massachusetts offers free community college and maintains college completion rates higher than much of the country.
"There are just a lot of higher opportunity costs and more prevalent barriers for two-year students," said Michael Thomas, president and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education. "Many of them are already working one or two jobs. It's difficult to then weave in another job, particularly if it's unpaid."
Employers may also favor interns from four-year colleges who have more schooling, said Nichole Torpey-Saboe, vice president of research at Strada and a co-author of the report.
The Healey administration has launched an initiative to expand co-op opportunities for students at public four-year universities, providing training and coaching. The state sent funding to Bridgewater State University, Framingham State University and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design to launch co-ops in the fall. That expansion does not currently extend to community colleges.
The report suggests that while career coaching is reaching more community college students, it has not yet translated into the kinds of paid, hands-on experiences that can improve their job prospects after graduation.