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One of the world’s most prestigious universities has taken a significant step toward overhauling the US higher-education system. Will other institutions follow suit?
For a school synonymous with privilege, Harvard University has announced a wildly democratic move to cut almost all tuition fees.
Beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year, all qualifying students will be able to attend the college free of charge. Given that around 86% of US households earn less than $200,000, with the median income sitting at around $80,000, this is huge news – not just for those attending Harvard, but for the wider conversation about college affordability in the US.
Harvard is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, with an infamously small acceptance rate and eye-watering fees. The current rate of tuition (before financial aid) is around $60,000. When you include the cost of housing, student services, and study material, that number jumps to over $80,000.
Needless to say, Harvard is not an accessible place – either practically or culturally. It has been a bastion of exclusivity and privilege since its inception, with notable alumni including Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. That being said, a decision to cut tuition for the majority of its student intake sets a hopeful president for other colleges across the US – a country known for its hefty student fees.
The news follows similar programs at the University of Pennsylvania and MIT, where support for low income families has slowly expanded to include the majority of students. Harvard previously covered full costs (including housing and medical expenses) for families earning under $85,000. So perhaps this is less a radical overhaul and more a notable expansion. However you frame it, there is clearly a shift toward tackling America’s deeply entrenched educational inequality.
By removing tuition fees for most families, Harvard is cutting through a major barrier. But this doesn’t erase the fact that higher education costs remain wildly inflated. Harvard can afford this policy because of its staggering $50 billion endowment — a luxury most institutions can only dream of.
The financial aid comes at a time of uncertainty within the US education system, as the Trump administration threatens a complete ‘overhaul’ of colleges and the withdrawal of funding over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Elonk Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has cut dozens of contracts it dismissed as ‘woke’ and wasteful, gutting the Institute of Education Sciences and firing or suspending scores of employees over coursework and research it deemed a form of racial discrimination.
