Harvard will now be offering free tuition for undergraduate students coming from families earning $200,000 or less a year. In a statement Monday, the Ivy League disclosed that their financial aid expansion will begin in the 2025-2026 school year and applies to approximately 86 percent of U.S. families. The median household income in the U.S. is around $80,000, according to the most recent census report. In addition to having free tuition, families with annual incomes of $100,000 or less will be able to send their students to Harvard completely for free. According to CNBC, expenses like housing, travel, and supplies are estimated to cost around $26,000 a year. Students within that bracket will also be able to get a $2,000 start-up grant in their freshmen and junior years to help them transition out of college. Tuition at Harvard College for the 2024-2025 school year is $56,550. “Harvard has long sought to open our doors to the most talented students, no matter their financial circumstances,” Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Hopi Hoekstra said in the university’s statement. “This investment in financial aid aims to make a Harvard College education possible for every admitted student.”
