Harvard eliminates tuition for families earning under $200,000

Photo: Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

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.

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