Harvard University will eliminate tuition for students from families earning up to $200,000 annually, a big expansion of the Ivy League school’s $85,000 income threshold.
Why it matters: Elite universities are seeking ways to maintain campus diversity after the Supreme Court banned race-based admissions practices last year.
By the numbers: Harvard students from families earning under $100,000 will get a fuller boat to cover costs at the school, including tuition, housing, food and health insurance.
- Harvard estimates it will spend $275 million on financial aid over the next academic year.
- The expansion would make 86% of U.S. families eligible for financial aid.
Zoom out: Institutions like MIT, the University of Pennsylvania and Caltech have already implemented similar $200,000 thresholds for free tuition.
Between the lines: The tuition move comes as Harvard and other universities implement hiring freezes in the face of Trump administration funding cuts and potential endowment tax increases.
What’s next: Harvard’s revamped financial aid program is set to start in the fall.
