Harvard undergraduate tuition will be free for students from families making $200,000 or less, starting next fall, the university Monday in its latest effort to provide an Ivy League education to those who might otherwise be priced out.
Attending Harvard will be completely free for students from families making $100,000 or less, with the university committing to cover housing, health insurance and travel costs between campus and home.
Undergraduate tuition at Harvard College was more than $56,000 this year, while total cost of attendance was almost $83,000, according to the institution’s financial aid . (Harvard College is the undergraduate institution at the university.)
A pedestrian walks through Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard undergraduate tuition will be free for students from families making $200,000 or less.
The announcement builds on the which was launched in 2004 to make college affordable for people of all economic backgrounds. Since its inception, has raised its income threshold several times, and currently, students from families with incomes under $85,000 attend Harvard for free.
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Harvard is among several higher education institutions expanding their financial aid offerings to support lower- and middle-income families.
In November, MIT that undergraduates from families earning below $200,000 would attend tuition-free starting next semester, while those with incomes under $100,000 will receive full coverage.
Similarly, the University of Pennsylvania in November it will cover tuition costs for students from families earning up to $200,000 annually. The University of Texas system undergraduates from families with incomes below $100,000 will attend tuition-free, starting next fall.
Harvard said Monday it wants to specifically entice middle-income families. While it did not indicate the source of funds to cover the tuition, the university has a whopping for fiscal year 2024.
“Putting Harvard within financial reach for more individuals widens the array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that all of our students encounter, fostering their intellectual and personal growth,†university President Alan M. Garber said in a statement.
Currently, 55% of undergraduates receive financial aid, with the average family contribution standing at $15,700 in 2023-2024, said the statement.
The financial aid website says scholarship funds come from “a variety of sources, including Harvard endowment funds, gifts from alumni, general tuition revenues, and federal and state grants.â€
The rising cost of going to college is hardly a secret.
Between 1980 and 2020, the average price of tuition, fees, room and board for an undergraduate degree increased by 169%, according to a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
The average tuition and fees at U.S. private colleges grew to about $43,000 a year, according to data collected by
States with the most expensive college tuition
States With the Most Expensive College Tuition
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Despite a slight drop in college attendance amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the large majority of high school graduates go directly to college upon . According to data from the National Centers for Education Statistics (NCES), enrollment in four-year colleges has more than doubled over the last 50 years, going from a little over five million students in 1970 to nearly 11 million in 2019. At the same time, Census Bureau data shows that the share of the U.S. adult population with a four-year college degree has more than tripled, from 11% in 1970 to 36% in 2019.
College enrollment and the share of those with degrees is increasing
For many, a college degree offers the most straightforward path toward securing a job and increasing pay. Research from Georgetown University suggests that in 2020 required at least a bachelor’s degree and data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a greater than , on average, between high-school graduates and college degree holders.
While higher levels of education are necessary for many jobs, the cost to get this education has increased dramatically in the last several decades. In 1979, the average annual total cost of attendance—including tuition, fees, room, and board—for full-time undergraduates was $9,307 (in constant 2019-2020 dollars). By 2019, this rate had nearly tripled, to more than $25,000. The result is that currently, the a college graduate owes at graduation is $31,100, up from less than $10,000 in 1970.
The cost of college has almost tripled in the last 30 years
Because of this, it’s not surprising that cost is one of the primary determining factors when considering where to attend college. In fact, roughly four out of every 10 high school students rated cost as “most important†in a recent . However, a university’s published price is often not a strong indicator of what any individual might actually pay out of pocket to attend, after factoring in the availability of grants and scholarship aid. In recent years, more than 80% of first-time, full-time undergraduates attending four-year colleges received some form of . So rather than focusing on published sticker prices, prospective students and their families should focus on net price, which better reflects the dollar amount paid by those who can’t afford to pay full price.
To determine the states with the most expensive college tuition, researchers at analyzed data from the . The researchers ranked states according to the average net price for students awarded aid, defined as the total published price of attendance for full-time, in-state undergraduates less the average amount of grant and scholarship aid received. Researchers also calculated the average published total price, the average published price of tuition, fees, books, and supplies, the average published price of room and board, and total public undergraduate enrollment. Only public, four-year, degree-granting institutions were included in the analysis.
Here are the states with the most expensive college tuition.
15. Kansas
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $16,832
- Average published total price: $24,126
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $10,200
- Average published room & board: $13,926
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 65,036
14. Oregon
Photo Credit: Bob Pool / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $17,006
- Average published total price: $27,451
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $12,383
- Average published room & board: $15,068
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 69,780
13. South Dakota
Photo Credit: Jacob Boomsma / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $17,956
- Average published total price: $22,929
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $10,579
- Average published room & board: $12,350
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 22,572
12. Alabama
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $18,189
- Average published total price: $27,113
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $11,613
- Average published room & board: $15,500
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 124,859
11. Colorado
Photo Credit: Jacob Boomsma / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $18,247
- Average published total price: $28,394
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $12,600
- Average published room & board: $15,793
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 105,475
10. New Jersey
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $18,285
- Average published total price: $33,392
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $16,064
- Average published room & board: $17,328
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 138,374
9. Delaware
Photo Credit: Jon Bilous / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $18,830
- Average published total price: $29,317
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $14,409
- Average published room & board: $14,908
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 24,112
8. Virginia
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $19,043
- Average published total price: $29,487
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $15,104
- Average published room & board: $14,383
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 168,178
7. Ohio
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $19,110
- Average published total price: $27,827
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $12,530
- Average published room & board: $15,297
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 204,670
6. Massachusetts
Photo Credit: Roman Babakin / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $19,467
- Average published total price: $30,290
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $14,823
- Average published room & board: $15,466
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 90,404
5. Vermont
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $19,510
- Average published total price: $33,047
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $18,450
- Average published room & board: $14,596
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 14,870
4. Connecticut
Photo Credit: f11photo / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $19,524
- Average published total price: $30,847
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $15,079
- Average published room & board: $15,768
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 44,907
3. South Carolina
Photo Credit: f11photo / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $19,608
- Average published total price: $28,825
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $14,600
- Average published room & board: $14,226
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 93,560
2. Pennsylvania
Photo Credit: Jon Bilous / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $20,477
- Average published total price: $30,299
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $15,183
- Average published room & board: $15,116
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 131,633
1. New Hampshire
Photo Credit: Loud Canvas / Shutterstock
- Average net price for students awarded aid: $22,976
- Average published total price: $32,672
- Average published tuition, fees, books, & supplies: $18,299
- Average published room & board: $14,373
- Total public undergraduate enrollment: 21,470
