Harvard University has announced the expansion of its undergraduate financial aid program. Starting from the 2025/26 academic year, all people from families with an annual income of less than $100,000 (regardless of the value of their main home and pension savings) can study at the university for free.
The university will cover all their expenses: tuition, food, accommodation, health insurance, transportation to and from home, etc. Students will receive a grant of $2000 in their first year and the same amount in their third year.
The purpose of the second grant is to help prepare for life after graduation.
Students from families with an income of $100,000 to $200,000 will be exempt from paying tuition fees, and some will also receive additional financial assistance.
Students whose parents earn more than $200,000 annually will also be eligible for financial support, though such cases will be considered individually.
Although Harvard’s official statements do not specify whether the new conditions apply to international students, the university has not previously considered citizenship when considering applications for financial support.
The new initiative is another element of the university’s long-term program to expand access to education. In 2004, Harvard began providing full financial aid to students from families with incomes below $40,000. Since then, this threshold has been raised several times and reached $85,000 in 2023.
In the two decades since the program was launched, the university has allocated more than $3.6 billion to support students. Currently, 55% of bachelors receive financial aid, totaling $275 million per year. At the same time, the cost of undergraduate education at Harvard reaches $57,000 per year.
Harvard is not the only prestigious American university raising the family income threshold required for full tuition exemption. The University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced similar projects earlier.
