The Momentum Fund

Helping students complete their extraordinary academic journeys

Even with generous financial aid packages, rising living costs make it difficult for many UMass Dartmouth students to pay their tuition balance to stay on track toward graduation. For these students, many of whom already work full-time jobs, a seemingly small financial challenge can escalate into a barrier to re-enrolling for next semester. An unpaid tuition balance doesn’t just create financial stress—it can bring a student’s hard-earned momentum along their extraordinary academic journey to a sudden stop.

The Momentum Fund aims to keep a student’s progress moving. The one-time grant helps students reduce their tuition balance so they may re-enroll and return to participating in innovative research with faculty, exploring creative pursuits, and applying hands-on learning in competitive internships. Your support provides the boost that students need to overcome temporary financial setbacks and maintain the forward motion they’ve worked so hard to achieve.

About The Momentum Fund

Your investment supports The Momentum Fund, a grant program backed by funding from a private foundation with the goal of helping to eliminate financial challenges that may prevent students from graduating. Grants of up to $2,500 are awarded to eligible undergraduate students who have completed a significant portion of their degree requirements but are at risk of withdrawing due to shortfalls in paying tuition. The award is applied directly to their account balance to ensure their enrollment status is unaffected and applies only to tuition and fees.

Since 2024, The Momentum Fund has helped 167 students re-enroll for the next semester or cross the stage at Commencement. Recipients receive financial counseling to help them avoid a balance for future semesters and gain access to online budgeting tools. Seniors benefit from counseling on how to manage loan payments after graduation.