Free Tuition for Students with Family Income Below $200,000

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently announced that it will eliminate tuition fees for students from families with an annual income below $200,000. This policy will take effect in the fall of 2025. Additionally, students from families earning below $100,000 will have all expenses, including housing, dining, fees, and an allowance for books and personal expenses.

Families earning below $100,000: All education-related expenses, including tuition and living costs, will be waived.

Families earning below $200,000: Tuition will be waived.

Families earning between $100,000 and $200,000: The amount parents are required to pay will be calculated progressively, with the maximum amount not exceeding $23,970 (approximately the current total of student housing and living costs).

Families earning above $200,000: Financial aid based on need may be available, depending on specific financial circumstances.

“The cost of college is a real concern for families across the board,” MIT President Sally Kornbluth says, “and we’re determined to make this transformative educational experience available to the most talented students, whatever their financial circumstances. So, to every student out there who dreams of coming to MIT: Don’t let concerns about cost stand in your way.”

Although MIT’s annual tuition exceeds $62,000, last year’s data indicated that undergraduates receiving financial aid actually paid around $12,938 annually.

“Today’s announcement is a powerful expression of how much our graduates value their MIT experience,” Kornbluth says.

MIT is one of the few universities in the U.S. with a need-blind admissions policy for international students, meaning that a student's ability to pay does not affect admission decisions, and it is committed to meeting the full financial need of all undergraduate students.

The University of Texas System (UT) has also recently announced an expansion of its free tuition program for low-income families, now including those with annual incomes of $100,000 or less.

The board of regents has preliminarily approved the expansion of the Promise Plus program, which will provide free tuition for undergraduate students starting in the fall of 2025, covering tuition and fees. The University of Texas System, the largest in the state, comprises nine universities and five health institutions, with over 256,000 students enrolled, making it one of the largest public university systems in the U.S.

In a press release, the system highlighted that this move positions it as one of the few educational institutions in the U.S. to offer such comprehensive financial aid benefits.

“Across UT institutions, enrollment is growing, and student debt is declining, indicating success in both access and affordability. That’s a rare trend in American higher education, and I’m proud the UT System is in a position to be a leader,” UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said in the release.