The Daily Populous Monday April 28th, 2025 morning edition
Authored by mhtntimes.com and submitted by Steven_on_the_run

Starting in Fall 2025, Harvard College will offer a completely free education—including housing—for students whose families earn $100,000 or less annually. Additionally, undergraduate students from families earning up to $200,000 per year will now attend tuition-free.

This major expansion of Harvard’s financial aid program, announced this week, marks a huge step toward making the University truly affordable for low- and middle-income families.

With this update, around 86% of U.S. families will qualify for financial assistance at Harvard College, reaffirming the nearly 400-year-old institution’s longstanding promise to provide access to all deserving students.

“Harvard has always aimed to welcome the most talented students, regardless of their financial situation,” said Dean Hopi Hoekstra.

Beginning in the 2025-26 academic year, students from families making $100,000 or less will see all billed costs—tuition, room, board, health insurance, and travel—covered in full.

These students will also receive a $2,000 grant during their first year to help with start-up costs, and another $2,000 grant in their junior year to assist with their transition after college.

“Expanding financial access brings a wider range of backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints to campus, enriching the learning environment for everyone,” said Harvard President Alan M. Garber.

For families earning up to $200,000, tuition will be fully covered, and additional financial aid will be available to help with billed expenses, depending on each family’s unique needs. Students from families earning more than $200,000 may also qualify for aid in some cases.

“We know that top students come from all walks of life, from every state and around the world,” said William R. Fitzsimmons, Harvard’s dean of admissions and financial aid.

This move builds on more than 20 years of expanding Harvard’s financial aid. In 2004, Harvard launched the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative, covering the full cost of tuition, housing, and food for families earning $40,000 or less. Since then, the income threshold has been raised four times—from $60,000 in 2006 to $85,000 in 2023.

Back in 2007, Harvard eliminated student loans, switching all financial assistance to grants. It also removed home equity from the formula used to calculate a family’s ability to pay.

Since launching its aid initiative, Harvard has awarded more than $3.6 billion in undergraduate aid and currently spends $275 million annually to support students.

Today, 55% of Harvard undergraduates receive financial aid. In the 2023-24 academic year, aided families paid an average of just $15,700, with financial aid officers working closely with each family to tailor their support.

“By gathering exceptional students together to learn from and with one another, we fulfill the incredible promise of Harvard,” said Garber.

inappropriateshallot on April 27th, 2025 at 16:49 UTC »

Hell, I'm a college professor and I make less than 100k, wonder if they'd let me in?

mrlazyboy on April 27th, 2025 at 15:21 UTC »

Most if not all elite universities will meet your EFC through a combination of scholarships, grants, and work studies. Though they tend to attract affluent students, my EFC was $0 and I got a BS and MS for $10k total when the actual tuition, room, and board was about $375k for the degrees

Elanadin on April 27th, 2025 at 14:31 UTC »

It wasn't covered in the article (which I think was AI generated. Lots of rephrasing of the same information, no author listed), but what percentage of students will they accept from low income?

I see that 55% of students receive some sort of financial aid, but that's very unspecific.