New England Board of Higher Education

What New England Board of Higher Education does

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) is a non-profit regional education compact founded in 1955 by the six New England governors and authorized by the U.S. Congress. Operating from its Boston, MA headquarters with 11-50 employees, NEBHE runs an interconnected portfolio of programs serving students, families, education leaders, and policymakers across Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Its core offerings include Tuition Break (a regional tuition discount program covering 2,700+ programs across 66 public institutions), SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements coordination for eight states plus broader national coordination with 2,400 participating institutions), the New England Transfer Guarantee (now spanning 52 four-year institutions across all six states), the New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC), Open Education resources, and the Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator.

NEBHE's technology infrastructure centers on stakeholder-facing web tools — notably the Tuition Break searchable program database and virtual workshop platforms supporting NEPEC's quarterly convenings — rather than documented public APIs or developer-facing platforms. Digital outreach spans a website, newsletter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube channels. NEBHE is not described as operating proprietary AI/ML systems or external-facing software products; its technology footprint is operational rather than commercial.

NEBHE's business model is foundation-funded. It operates on multi-year grants from major philanthropic funders including Ascendium Education Group ($6.7 million five-year grant for NEPEC, the largest single award), Teagle Foundation, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Davis Educational Foundation, Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, plus state-level grants such as the Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator Pilot Grant. Programs are distributed through partnerships with 260+ colleges and universities, state agencies, and sister regional compacts (MHEC, SREB, WICHE). The student-facing Tuition Break delivers an average annual savings of approximately $8,600 per student, generating $64.2 million in total student savings for 9,001 students in 2024-2025. Senior leadership is led by President and CEO Michael K. Thomas, with a CFO (Jack Harrington, outsourced via Franklin Management since September 2023) and a 48-member state-appointed Board of Delegates.

Name

New England Board of Higher Education

Legal name

New England Board of Higher Education

Website

https://nebhe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) is a non-profit regional education compact serving the six New England states through Tuition Break, SARA, the New England Transfer Guarantee, NEPEC prison education, Open Education, and the Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Higher Education Compact Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Tuition Assistance & Voucher/ESA Program Administration (EDADAHAF)

Keywords

• Regional education compact
• Higher education policy
• Tuition savings programs
• Prison education initiatives
• Transfer guarantee programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: NEBHE receives significant grant funding from foundations including Ascendium Education Group ($6.7 million grant for prison education), Teagle Foundation, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Davis Educational Foundation, Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and state grants such as the Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator Pilot Grant.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

NEBHE operates as a nonprofit regional education compact administering Tuition Break (a regional tuition discount enabling New England residents to enroll at out-of-state public colleges at reduced rates), SARA (interstate distance education authorization), the New England Transfer Guarantee (community college to four-year institution transfer pathway), the New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC), Open Education/OER programs, the CT Tech Talent Accelerator, and policy research and convening services across the six New England states.

Product overview

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) operates as a regional education compact offering a portfolio of interconnected programs focused on expanding access, affordability, and success in postsecondary education across the six New England states. The core offerings include Tuition Break (regional tuition discount program enabling students to attend out-of-state New England public colleges at reduced rates), SARA (interstate distance education authorization coordination), the New England Transfer Guarantee (seamless community college to four-year transfer pathways), the New England Prison Education Collaborative (prison higher education expansion initiative), Open Education/OER Resources (open educational resources support), CT Tech Talent Accelerator (tech workforce development), and Policy & Research services. These programs work together to serve students, families, education leaders, policymakers, and researchers across the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC): A regional initiative led by NEBHE to expand access to high-quality, workforce-aligned, equitable postsecondary opportunities for incarcerated learners across the six New England states, funded by a $6.7 million Ascendium Education Group grant.
• Tuition Break
• New England Transfer Guarantee
• New England SARA
• Open Education

Products and services

• Tuition Break New England Regional Student Program (RSP) providing significant tuition savings to residents of the six New England states when they enroll at out-of-state public colleges and universities within New England in approved programs; students save an average of $8,500 per year with 3,000+ programs at 66 participating institutions, totaling $64.2 million in savings for 9,001 students in 2024-2025.
• SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) Voluntary interstate framework coordinated by NEBHE for all six New England states plus New York and New Jersey that allows students to enroll in distance education across state lines; nationally covers 49 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands with 2,400 participating colleges.
• New England Transfer Guarantee Guaranteed admission program enabling community college graduates from all six New England states to transfer directly to participating four-year independent and public colleges and universities with clear, affordable pathways to complete bachelor's degrees; 52 participating institutions supported 1,362 community college transfers in 2025 with an average 3.66 cumulative GPA.
• New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC) Five-year regional initiative (2024-2029) funded by Ascendium Education Group ($6.7 million grant) to strengthen, expand and coordinate higher education in prison across New England through Accelerator Grants, state strategic planning, and quarterly workshops; includes subgrants of $900,000+ to New England-based institutions.
• Open Education / OER Resources Program launched in 2019 to assist coordinated state strategies, effective policy frameworks, and best-practice sharing to accelerate integration of open educational resources (OER) in New England; includes OER creation/adaptation grants up to $5,000, the Northeast OER Summit, and support for no-cost course marking.
• CT Tech Talent Accelerator Workforce development initiative engaging Connecticut's higher education ecosystem (CSCU and independent institutions) to prepare graduates for tech workforce needs through new or refreshed credential programs; in Phase 3.0 (TTA 3.0) expanding artificial intelligence postsecondary education and workforce training, with 700+ Connecticut students enrolled in cybersecurity, cloud computing, and bioinformatics pathways.
• Policy & Research Research, policy analysis, and capacity building services that inform leaders in higher education and government, including Legislative Advisory Committee activities and data collection on all NEBHE initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9,001 students saved over $64.2 million through Tuition Break in 2024-2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• The Jed Foundation (JED)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Led a two-day policy convening on student behavioral health, establishing shared policy priorities including comprehensive suicide prevention, student voice inclusion, and behavioral health workforce development.
• Business-Higher Education ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2026Administers the Connecticut Tech Talent Accelerator program in partnership with NEBHE to strengthen Connecticut's technology workforce through AI education initiatives.
• Cookson CommunicationsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Provides on-the-ground planning support for New Hampshire's Corrections Education and Vocational Planning Group (CEVPG) strategic planning process.
• Unlocked LabscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Conducts technological infrastructure assessments for prison education programs, including four-day on-site needs assessments and stakeholder interviews in New Hampshire and Maine.
• Ithaka S+RminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Provides technical assistance to improve data systems for current prison education providers.
• The Educational Justice Institute at MIT (TEJI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-chaired the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison with NEBHE, developing recommendations for expanding prison education.
• Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Regional compact partner collaborating under National Consortium for Open Educational Resources (NCOER) to scale and sustain OER use.
• Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Regional compact partner collaborating on OER initiatives and SARA coordination under NCOER.
• Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Regional compact partner collaborating on OER initiatives under NCOER.
• SPARCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition partners on open education advocacy and resources.
• DOERS3 CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Driving OER Sustainability for Student Success - 36 public higher education systems committed to promoting free, customizable OER.
• National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015NEBHE coordinates SARA for all six New England states, as well as New York and New Jersey, working with the four regional education compacts.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/nebheonline
• Facebookfacebook.com/nebhe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-england-board-of-higher-education
• Xx.com/nebhe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New England Board of Higher Education