For some families, Harvard University just got a little bit cheaper. The Ivy League institute located in Cambridge, Massachusetts—which costs about $83,000 annually in 2024—recently announced tuition will be free for families whose income is below $200,000 per year. If you’re a family whose household income is less than $100,00, the venerated institution will basically pay for everything. And I do mean everything: tuition, housing, fees, travel costs, event and activity fees– and if you need some cold weather gear to adjust to the Boston winters, Harvard is covering that, too. They’ll even give you a $2,000 start-up grant to get you situated; all you have to do is get in.
The recently announced move brings Harvard in line with several other elite institutions that offer tuition-free assistance for families whose household income is below certain thresholds. For instance, both the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (also in Cambridge) offer free tuition for those families who make less than $200,000. Princeton University’s tuition-free cut-off is $160,000, Columbia University’s cut-off is $150,000, Stanford University is $150,000 with a sliding scale, and so on and so forth. Harvard’s previous income cut-off for free tuition was $85,000.
As attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) dominate conversations about education at all levels, universities have been trying to find ways to get a mix of individuals into institutions of all types as most universities believe that diverse student bodies lead to a better and more full academic experience. Richard Kahlenberg of the American Identity Project at the Progressive Policy Institute believes that significant financial aid to families from lower income tiers would likely increase the backgrounds of those who end up on campus.
“Now that universities can no longer employ racial preferences if they want racial diversity, the best path forward is to boost the chances of admissions of nonwealthy and working-class students, a disproportionate share of whom are Black and Hispanic. To get such students to apply, and then to enroll, requires generous financial aid,” said Kahlenberg.
As a point of note, free tuition isn’t a new or novel idea. Harvard introduced a tuition-free program in 2004; at the time, families whose income was below $40,000 could receive free tuition. Since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, ending race-conscious admissions to achieve diversity on some of the nation’s most elite campuses, aid based on income has become a more popular and enduring conversation. In making the decision, Harvard’s president, Alan M. Garber pointed out that the decision ensures more families from various backgrounds can consider Harvard, thereby increasing diversity on the campus.
“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. By bringing people of outstanding promise together to learn with and from one another, we truly realize the tremendous potential of the university,” said Garber.
If you believe coming from a family that makes over $200,000 bars you from financial aid, think again. While obviously, families below the threshold are the target and most likely to receive financial aid packages covering a substantial part of their education, some students whose families make over $200,000 can be eligible for financial aid from the university depending on the family situation. Also, about fifty percent of Harvard students receive some form of financial aid, according to the school. So all hope is not lost if your family is close to or over that threshold.
Harvard University has a rich history of Black alumni across the university’s schools and throughout time. The university’s first Black graduate was Richard T. Greener who graduated in 1870 and would become the first Black professor at the University of South Carolina and a dean at the famed HBCU, Howard University School of Law. Other famous Black Harvard alumni include W.E.B DuBois, Reginald F. Lewis, Soledad O’Brien, Hill Harper, Yara Shahidi, and three Obamas– Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Malia Obama, along with Loretta Lynch, Joy Reid, and Abby Phillip.
