Elite universities across the United States are expanding their free tuition programs to attract middle-class applicants amid declining enrollment trends.
Recent announcements from institutions like the University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brandeis University, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Texas System offer to waive tuition and fees for students from families earning less than six figures annually.
This trend emerges as higher education faces multiple challenges: falling U.S. birth rates are reducing the college-aged population, and inflation is making four-year programs increasingly unaffordable for many families. According to Appily, 57 colleges and university systems now offer free tuition programs. Harvard University, for instance, has committed to charging families earning up to $150,000 between zero and 10% of their annual income.
The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education projects a significant decline in high school graduates, forecasting a 13% drop from 3.9 million in 2025 to under 3.4 million by 2041. This demographic shift has already led to hundreds of tuition-dependent small colleges closing or merging, while others are cutting humanities programs in favor of workforce training programs.
These free tuition initiatives primarily come from well-endowed state flagship universities and elite private institutions. For example, MIT, with its $24.6 billion endowment, now covers tuition, housing, dining, fees and other expenses for households earning below $100,000 annually. However, critics note that these programs benefit only a small fraction of college students nationwide, as most attend community colleges and regional state universities.
Read more: Elite schools expand ’free college’ for the middle class
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