In few places is higher education so ingrained in a region's economic vitality as in New England. Students from all over the world enroll in New England's institutions of learning and research, bringing resources to finance their education and living expenses that reverberate throughout local and state economies. Human capital-based industries driven by New England's college-trained talent fuel New England's local and state economies. This article traces the economic growth of New England from 1973 to 2001, and discusses how New England should prepare for its growing populations of low-income students headed toward college. (Contains 4 tables.)