Harvard just made a big move. The university announced that it’s expanding free tuition to cover more students than ever before. If your family makes $200,000 a year or less, you won’t have to pay for tuition at all.
And if your family’s income is $100,000 or lower, Harvard will cover way more than just tuition — it’ll pay for your food, housing, health insurance, and even travel.
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This change is a pretty big deal. Harvard, which has been around for 388 years, is already known for its financial aid, but now it’s reaching more students than ever.
Harvard’s free tuition expansion starts in 2025
The new policy kicks in for the 2025-26 school year. Once it’s in place, about 86% of American families will qualify for financial aid at Harvard. That’s a huge increase.
Harvard’s president says this will help bring in more diverse students
Harvard’s president, Alan M. Garber, thinks this will make a big difference for students.
“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,” he said in a statement.
Harvard believes financial aid helps students learn from one another
Garber also added: “By bringing people of outstanding promise together to learn with and from one another, we truly realize the tremendous potential of the university.”
Basically, the idea is that making Harvard more affordable brings in students from different walks of life, which benefits everyone.
The cost of attending Harvard is still high without financial aid
Even though Harvard is offering more financial help, it’s still ridiculously expensive if you don’t qualify. Tuition alone is about $56,550 a year. And that’s just part of it — once you add in housing, food, health insurance, and everything else, the total cost shoots past $80,000 a year.
Harvard’s acceptance rate remains highly competitive
Getting into Harvard is still as tough as ever. The school takes in about 24,500 students total (undergrad and grad), but the acceptance rate is brutal. In 2024, only 3.59% of the 54,000 people who applied for the class of 2028 actually got in.
Their financial aid expansion builds on previous policies
This isn’t the first time Harvard has offered free tuition. Before this, only families earning under $85,000 a year qualified. Now, the university is raising the limit, so way more students can benefit.
The announcement comes amid political tensions over higher education
Harvard didn’t mention anything about politics in its announcement, but it’s hard to ignore the timing. The current White House administration has been cutting funding for higher education, and there’s been a lot of talk from politicians about universities being “elitist” or “out of touch.”
Some Republican leaders have fueled skepticism toward higher education in general. And surveys show that a growing number of Americans are losing confidence in colleges and universities.
More universities have been expanding their financial aid programs
Harvard isn’t the only school making changes. More universities have been expanding financial aid programs lately, and free tuition for lower-income families is becoming more common.
Last November, the University of Pennsylvania announced that students from families earning under $200,000 would get free tuition. MIT did the same thing.
The University of Texas and other schools have also increased financial aid
The University of Texas also bumped up its financial aid program, now covering full tuition for families making $100,000 or less a year. And places like Dartmouth and the University of Virginia have also increased their financial aid limits recently.
That’s the latest on Harvard’s tuition changes. The bottom line? If you’ve ever dreamed of going to Harvard but thought it was way out of reach financially, this new policy might just change the game.
