Harvard will be free for students whose families make $100,000 or less

Harvard University has expanded its financial aid program to make the university free or lower-cost for students whose families earn less than $200,000, a move that comes in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court ruling that banned race from being a consideration in the admissions process.

Three things to know:

1. Harvard outlined the income requirements for prospective students for the next academic year: If a student’s family makes less than $100,000 annually, the cost of attendance is free, including tuition, food, housing, health insurance and travel costs. If a family makes $200,000 or less, tuition is free. Families that make more than that will still qualify to receive financial aid.
2. The university described the move as a significant expansion of financial aid that will “make Harvard affordable to more students than ever, especially from middle-income families.” The plan also includes a two-part startup grant for graduates to help with the transition to life after Harvard.
3. Harvard’s sticker price for the 2024-2025 school year is an estimated $82,866 for undergraduate students, according to the university’s registrar.

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What difference does it make?

Harvard has offered free admission in previous years, with the threshold for eligibility increasing several times. The last jump was in 2023, when it was $85,000. The $100,000 family income threshold is well above the median income for the average American household: $80,610, according to 2023 census numbers.

Across the U.S., more than 100 universities have already adopted similar practices in order to diversify their student bodies. Some smaller schools had been doing it long before the Supreme Court ruling. Others, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pennsylvania more recently have moved to make tuition free or more affordable to families that meet certain income qualifications.

However, Zachary Bleemer, an assistant professor of economics at Yale who studies higher education, told NPR via email that, because less than 1% of four-year college students enroll at an Ivy League school to begin with, he doesn’t think “the choice means much for nearly any students.”

Dive deeper with NPR:

• For more analysis on class in education, read this piece from NPR’s education desk.
• NPR’s political reporters explain the big news coming out of Congress and the White House every day – only through our Politics Podcast.