Harvard University Expands Free Tuition Policy

Harvard University announced on Monday that Harvard will now be free for students from families with annual incomes of $100,000 or less and ...

Harvard University announced on Monday that Harvard will now be free for students from families with annual incomes of $100,000 or less and tuition-free for students from families with annual incomes of $200,000 or less, according to the Harvard Gazette. This expansion of financial aid, effective as of the 2025-26 academic year, will enable approximately 86 percent of U.S. families to qualify for financial aid at Harvard.

“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,” said Dr. Alan M. Garber, president of Harvard University. “By bringing people of outstanding promise together to learn with and from one another, we truly realize the tremendous potential of the University.”

Students covered by Harvard’s expanded free tuition policy will have expenses such as tuition, food, housing, health insurance, and travel costs covered. Additionally, each student covered under the expanded free tuition policy will receive a $2,000 start-up grant in their first year to help with move-in costs and other expenses related to transitioning to college and a $2,000 launch grant during their junior year to help support their transition post-graduation.

According to the Gazette, this financial aid expansion at Harvard follows the 2004 launch of the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative which covered tuition, food, and housing costs for students from families with annual incomes of $40,000 or less. This financial aid threshold has increased four times since 2004, moving to $85,000 in 2023.

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