Harvard University has announced an expansion of its financial aid program for undergraduate students.
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Starting in the 2025/26 academic year, all students from families whose annual income does not exceed $100,000 (regardless of the value of their primary residence and what pension savings they have) will be able to study at a university for free.
The university will cover all their expenses: tuition, food, accommodation, health insurance, travel home, etc. Students will also receive a grant of $2,000 in their first year and the same in their third.
The purpose of the second grant is to help prepare for life after graduation.
Students from families with incomes between $100,000 and $200,000 will be exempt from tuition, and some will also receive additional financial aid.
Students whose parents have an annual income exceeding $200,000 will also be eligible for financial support; such cases will be considered on an individual basis.
While Harvard's official statements do not specify whether the new conditions apply to international students, the university has not previously taken citizenship into account when reviewing applications for financial aid.
The new initiative is the latest element of the university’s long-standing commitment to expanding access to education. In 2004, Harvard began providing full financial aid to students from families with incomes under $40,000. Since then, that threshold has been raised several times, reaching $85,000 in 2023.
In the two decades since the program’s launch, the university has awarded more than $3.6 billion in student support. Currently, 55% of undergraduates receive financial aid, with the total amount being $275 million per year. At the same time, the cost of an undergraduate education at Harvard reaches $57,000 per year.
Harvard is not the only prestigious American university to raise the family income threshold required to fully waive tuition fees. The University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have previously announced similar projects.
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