Massachusetts public higher education saw a surge in fall enrollment this year, with community college students jumping by 14% and public four-year colleges increasing for the first time since 2013, according to Massachusetts Department of Higher Education data released Tuesday.

“We’ve seen through MassReconnect, MassEducate and our public higher education system that when college is made accessible and affordable, students are eager to enroll and get the education they deserve,” said Gov. Maura Healey, citing two initiatives launched in the last school year that made community college free for all Massachusetts students.

The Massachusetts public higher education system overall saw its second consecutive year of growth, state officials presented at the Board of Higher Education meeting Tuesday. This follows nearly a decade of falling enrollment trends in the state’s institutions “initially driven by expected demographic shifts in the state and later worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic,” education officials said.

Nationally, higher education institutions are following a similar rebound. Undergraduate enrollment grew 2.5% across the U.S., according to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data, driven largely by 4.7% jump in community college enrollment.

The double-digit percentage increase in community college enrollment in Massachusetts marks the second year of increase, with an 8.7% increase last year, according to the state data. Before the 2023-24 school year, the state’s community college enrollment had been in decline in the state since 2012.

Enrollment at Massachusetts public four-year colleges are seeing its first rebound in over a decade, the data show. In the fall 2024, undergraduate enrollment jumped 1.2% or 379 students at the state’s nine public universities.

At the four UMass universities alone, undergraduate enrollment grew only 0.1% from the last year.

Public officials heralded the increase Tuesday, calling the enrollment gains “a win for the future of our Commonwealth” and “a pivotal moment for higher education.”

In recent years the Healey administration doubled state spending on financial aid, including MassEducate making community college tuition and fee free for all Massachusetts students.

MASSGrant Plus also took effect in the last year for students at public state colleges, covering tuition, fees and some additional costs for families making up to $85,000 a year before taxes. The program also covers half of the costs for families making between $85,000 and $100,000 a year.

State Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler cited the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning affirmative action in 2023, noting the renewed importance of “addressing affordability” in keeping college’s diverse.

The state released recommendations for Massachusetts colleges and universities in the wake of the Supreme Court decision from the administration’s Advisory Council to Advance Representation in Education last week.

“Making college affordable and accessible is central to higher education equity, and we have clearly lifted a barrier for many students who had college dreams but had not been shown an affordable path to achieving them,” said Tutwiler. … “Massachusetts has met that challenge head-on and made transformational change, opening the door to higher education for thousands more students.”