Harvard offers free tuition to those earning less than $200 a year

Harvard University has announced that tuition will be free for families with incomes of less than $200 per year. For families with incomes of less than $000, the oldest US university will cover living expenses and health insurance, reports Air force.

Photo: Jorge Salcedo | Dreamstime.com

The move is intended to make Harvard more affordable for middle-income families and comes as the Trump administration has targeted university funding as part of a crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.

“By making Harvard financially accessible to more people, we broaden the horizons of our students, which contributes to their intellectual and personal growth,” said Harvard President Alan Garber.

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Garber explained that the new policy, which will go into effect in the 2025-2026 academic year, will help “every incoming student receive a Harvard College education.”

The Ivy League university noted that the move would allow approximately 86 percent of American families to qualify for Harvard financial aid.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in the country was $2023 in 80.

In recent years, some elite American universities have taken similar steps, including the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which have also made tuition free for families with incomes under $200.

Previously, Harvard covered all university expenses, including housing and health care, for families with incomes under $85.

The average cost of attending a private U.S. university for on-campus students is $58 per year, according to the Education Data Initiative. The research team found that the average cost of attending college has more than doubled since 000.

The expansion of financial aid programs comes as the Trump administration has threatened to cut funding to universities over their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as well as research and curriculum that it says constitutes racial discrimination.

Under the 47th president, the Education Department said it is investigating 52 universities across the country over allegations of “racial bias and stereotyping in educational programs and activities” as Trump seeks to dismantle DEI programs.

The current White House administration has already revoked $400 million in grants and contracts from Columbia University, saying the Ivy League school failed to prevent anti-Semitism on campus amid protests against Israel's war in Gaza.

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Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to strike down affirmative action policies that provided benefits to disadvantaged groups in an effort to combat discrimination against marginalized applicants and increase diversity in the student body.

Following the court's decision, universities across the country reported a decline in racial diversity among their students.

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