Harvard University announced Monday that it will no longer charge tuition to students from families who make less than $200,000 annually.
The Ivy League university is the first among its peers to raise its maximum income to receive free tuition. Previously, it offered free tuition to students from families who made less than $65,000, as Yale University and Princeton University do. The change will begin in the 2025-2026 school year.
“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 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.”
It is estimated that 86% of U.S. families will qualify for free tuition. Last year, the cost of tuition was just under $60,000 annually.
The change was announced following the Supreme Court’s ruling against race-based affirmative action.
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Harvard’s former president, Claudine Gay, resigned last year after her appearance before the House Education and Workforce Committee, during which she avoided questions regarding students who advocated the “genocide of Jews” and whether they violated the school’s code of conduct. Instead, she said she thought any reference to genocide was “abhorrent.”
The university went on to settle lawsuits alleging antisemitism on its campus. As a result of the settlements, the university agreed to update its policies to better protect its Jewish students.