Harvard University will offer free tuition to students with families who make $200,000 or less a year, officials announced on Monday.
For students whose families earn $100,000 or less annually, Harvard will also pay for food, health insurance, and travel costs, while also providing students with $2,000 grants during their freshman and junior years.
The "significant" financial aid expansion begins in the 2025–2026 academic school year.
Officials noted that approximately 86 percent of U.S families qualify for the aid, making Harvard affordable to more students than ever before.
“Putting Harvard within financial reach for more individuals widens the array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that all of our students encounter, fostering their intellectual and personal growth," Harvard University President Alan M. Garber said in a
statement. “By bringing people of outstanding promise together to learn with and from one another, we truly realize the tremendous potential of the University."
The Ivy League college is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The private university is ranked #3 in the nation,
according to the 2025 U.S. News and World Report on College Rankings.
Officials said that Harvard has invested in undergraduate financial aid for the last two decades. In 2004, the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative completely covered tuition, food, and housing costs for students from families with annual incomes of $40,000 or less. Since then, the threshold has increased four times: from $60,000 in 2006 to $85,000 in 2023.
The college has awarded more than $3.6 billion in undergraduate financial aid since launching the initiative.
In 2007, Harvard eliminated its loan program and instead started offering financial support in the form of grants.
It's now more attainable for students who otherwise would not consider attending the Ivy League university, in part, due to the costs.
“We know the most talented students come from different socioeconomic backgrounds and experiences, from every state and around the globe,” William R. Fitzsimmons, Harvard College’s dean of admissions and financial aid, said in a
statement. “Our financial aid is critical to ensuring that these students know Harvard College is a place where they can be part of a vibrant learning community strengthened by their presence and participation.”
According to its
website, Harvard tuition for the 2025–2026 school years costs $56,550. But that total grows to $82,866 including other expenses, such as housing and food.
More and more universities are offering free tuition based on combined income brackets.
Princeton, also an Ivy League college, pays for tuition for students whose families make $160,000 or less. Students at
Stanford University whose families earn $150,000 or less do not have to pay tuition.
