Harvard announces free tuition for students from families making $200k or less; here’s what it covers

Harvard University announced on Monday that they will offer free tuition to students from families earning $200,000 or less per year. The aid, the university said, will be handed out starting in the 2025-2026 academic year. The initiative significantly expands the university’s financial aid programme and aims to make higher education more accessible to a broader range of students.
Harvard President Alan M Garber stated that the move would diversify student backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. This, he said, will foster intellectual and personal growth.
As per the reports, the expansion will enable 86 per cent of the families in the United States to qualify for Harvard’s financial aid programme. The announcement of assistance furthers its commitment to supporting students from diverse economic backgrounds.

A response to changing higher education landscape

According to a New York Times report, Harvard’s decision came after a similar move by other institutions like the University of Pennsylvania, MIT, and Caltech. All these universities increased financial aid thresholds to $200,000.

The NYT report stated that the move comes amid rising concerns over the accessibility of elite higher education and follows US Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action in college admissions. Reportedly, since the ruling, many varsities have reported declining Black and Hispanic student enrolments. This prompted the institutions to seek alternative ways to ensure diversity.

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Director of American Identity Project Richard Kahlenberg told NYT that increasing financial aid is one of the most effective ways to maintain racial and socioeconomic diversity as race and income are often closely linked.

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