To help students, simplify the state's college aid programs: State financial aid programs need to be simplified, streamlined.

Want to attend community college for free? Research MassEducate. Unless you're over 25, in which case MassReconnect is the free financial aid program for you. Low-income students can attend public universities free through MASSGrant Plus — which, by the way, is different from MASSGrant, which gives money to students attending public or private colleges.

Confused yet? Now imagine how befuddled prospective college students seeking financial aid must be.

In the past year, the state has vastly increased its financial aid offerings. The fiscal 2025 budget includes around $375 million to pay for several large financial aid programs.

But the money will only have its intended effect of boosting college attendance if students know what's available and how to access it. The state needs to streamline and simplify its financial aid programs, while publishing information about all its programs on one website.

This isn't about slick marketing but about helping students make the right educational decision. For example, a low-income student who hears about free community college may also be eligible for free tuition and fees at a four-year state university, but if they don't know that, they might not apply. A unified marketing campaign would ensure students know about all available aid so they can choose the school that best fits their needs.

“The allure of 'free' messaging around free community college makes it easy for that to be the headliner," said Jennie Williamson, state director of The Education Trust-Massachusetts, which seeks to dismantle economic barriers to education. “The fact is Pell-eligible students should be able to attend any public college or university free in Massachusetts. … What we don't want to do with different programs is limit student pathways by explicitly and only advertising one program over another."

The problem is a long-standing one. A 2017 study by Harvard Graduate School of Education researcher Bridget Terry Long identified 31 Massachusetts financial aid programs, a handful of which served fewer than 100 students, and suggested consolidating and simplifying them.

Legislation requiring the Department of Higher Education to consolidate programs and increase transparency died in the Legislature this year, although a commission to examine the issue was created by the state budget. But the Department of Higher Education does not need legislative direction to simplify and better market existing financial aid programs. In fact, state education officials told the Board of Higher Education in March that they hope to simplify these programs by 2026. A presentation by the Department of Higher Education said there are now more than 50 financial aid programs, including grants, tuition waivers, scholarships, loan forgiveness, and tax policies. At least 20 programs have fewer than 2,000 recipients, and 16 have a median award value below $2,000.

The challenge to implementing change may be politics. MassReconnect — free community college for students over 25 — was a signature policy accomplishment of Governor Maura Healey. But it may no longer make sense to have a separately named program for students over 25 now that community college is free for everyone. Senate President Karen Spilka's signature program, MassEducate — free community college for all — should be widely advertised. But there's no good reason to advertise free community college without equally touting free tuition and fees at state universities for low-income students.

Femi Stoltz, Massachusetts policy director of uAspire, a Boston-based nonprofit that advises students and financial aid counselors, said even financial aid administrators struggle to keep up with the newest offerings. While the programs are all well-intentioned ways to target aid, their proliferation, Stoltz said, creates an “unnecessary layer of complexity." Stoltz said her organization frequently hears about students who accidentally applied to the wrong program.

One model would be to offer a comprehensive “College Promise" program, uniting all the policies under one umbrella. Individual scholarships could still apply to certain segments, like public colleges or community colleges, or certain populations.

The state does have a website listing financial aid programs with a simplified guide for students, which is a good first step, but it takes clicking through each link to figure out what each program offers. Advocates who work with students say there are more consumer-friendly ways to present the information.

Amanda Seider, executive director of OneGoal, which helps schools and districts with college advising, was right when she said the core question is: “How do you look at this from a student perspective who says 'I'm interested in higher education, I'm not sure where I want to go yet. What's available to me?' "

The financial aid system needs an overhaul by policy makers who are thinking like students, not politicians.

Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.