Financial aid is being offered to students regardless of their immigration status through the new Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid or “MAFSA,” the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced Tuesday.

“Tuition equity is about giving students who have long called Massachusetts home equal access to higher education,” Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler said. ”With the MASFA form providing access to millions of dollars in need-based financial aid, we will be able to give the greatest number of students access to the life-changing opportunities that our institutions of higher education offer here in the Commonwealth.”

The application, released on the Department of Higher Education website Tuesday, allows Massachusetts students without a social security number or other documentation an alternative to the federally-run FAFSA form to assess their eligibility for state need-based financial aid.

The form follows up on the passage of the Tuition Equity Law in August, which allows any student, regardless of immigration status, who completed at least three years of high school in the Commonwealth and received a diploma or its equivalent to access in-state tuition at schools within the Massachusetts system of public higher education. The law was applied automatically to eligible students for the fall semester.

MAFSA follows the same Tuition Equity Law eligibility requirements. If applicable, students must also sign up for the draft and provide a completed the DHE Affidavit stating that they will apply to become a citizen or legal permanent resident within 120 days after becoming eligible to do so.

For those unsure about the process, the DOE emphasized that they will direct applicants to people to help them navigate the form and protect the privacy of students’ personal information.

Currently, 18 states in the U.S. allow undocumented students “comprehensive access” to in-state tuition and state financial aid policies, according to the Higher Ed Immigration Portal.

Enrollment in state universities and community colleges this fall saw the first year-over-year increase since 2013, according to Department of Higher Education data released in December. Overall enrollment jumped 2.9% from fall 2022, led by an 8% jump in community college enrollment.

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The enrollment trends follow several higher education affordability and access initiatives under the Healey-Driscoll administration. These include MassReconnect, which makes community college free for all eligible residents 25 and older, and the MASSGrant Plus Expansion, which covers tuition and fees for low-income students and reduces costs for middle-income students.

“Students who have long been part of our communities in Massachusetts should be eligible for the historic financial aid programs we have launched this year, and they should have every opportunity to grow their careers and be part of building our state’s workforce,” Healey said.

Students are encouraged to fill out MASFA by May 1 or June 30 at the latest to receive aid for the 2023-24 school year. Students can access the form at mass.edu/MASFA.