After Trump cuts, Harvard offers free tuition to students in families making less than $200K annually

Harvard University has announced that it will make tuition free for students in households making up to $200,000 annually, and cover all costs – tuition, room, board, and other expenses – for students whose families earn under $100,000.

The move will begin with the 2025-26 academic year and comes after the university said it was pausing hiring, citing new policies about research funding under the Trump administration.

“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,” said Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, on the university’s website. “By bringing people of outstanding promise together to learn with and from one another, we truly realize the tremendous potential of the University.”

According to the school, the move means that approximately 86% of U.S. families could qualify for financial aid through Harvard. Currently tuition at the elite Ivy League university averages around $56,550 annually, but with room, board, health services, and other expenses, the cost soars to around $83,000 per year. 

Harvard said that it has awarded more than $3.6 billion in undergraduate financial aid since 2004, and has a financial aid budget of $275 million for the 2025-26 academic year. According to the school’s financial aid department, 55% of undergraduates currently receive financial aid, with families paying an average of $15,700 for the 2023-24 academic year. 

Harvard holds the largest university endowment in the world, valued at around $50 billion, from which the bulk of the new financial aid program will likely be drawn, according to higher education experts. The university joins MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, and other elite universities that have expanded access to students from lower-income families. 

Some of these universities, including Harvard, have seen applications decrease after pro-Hamas demonstration caused campus disruptions, the Daily Caller reports. 

Harvard joins a number of other elite schools that have expanded access for students from lower-income families. Like Harvard, beginning with the 2025-26 academic year, students at nearby MIT whose families making less than $200,000 will be able to attend the prestigious school tuition-free, while students from families making less than $100,000 will have all expenses paid. 

“The cost of college is a real concern for families across the board,” explained MIT president Sally Kornbluth, in announcing the tuition break last November. “We’re determined to make this transformative educational experience available to the most talented students, whatever their financial circumstances. So, to every student out there who dreams of coming to MIT: Don’t let concerns about cost stand in your way.” 

Last October UMass announced that beginning in 2025 Massachusetts students from families making up to $75,000 will be able to attend tuition-free. Similarly, the University of Michigan announced in December that in-state undergraduate students whose families make up to $125,000 will have free tuition.