This is a list thread where we can add existing + new schools that offer tuition-free options for low-income students.
Allegheny College
Source: Cost and Aid - Allegheny College
- tuition-free for PA & OH students from families earning <$50k
Arkansas State University
Source: Arkansas Promise Plus
- tuition-free for AR students from families earning <$70k AGI (adjusted gross income); student must be a 2026 HS Graduate, AR resident and U.S. citizen, have 19+ ACT superscore or 990-1010 SAT and 3.00 HS GPA, completed FAFSA, and complete the Arkansas Challenge Lottery application
Brandeis University
Source: The Brandeis Commitment | Office of Student Financial Services | Brandeis University
- grants & scholarship to cover full tuition for students from families earning <$75k
- grants & scholarship to cover half tuition for students from families earning >$75k and <$200k
- financial aid package that meets 100% of a domestic student’s demonstrated financial need in the first year with a combination of grants, scholarships, loans and work, regardless of family income
- four-year guarantee that students will receive the same level of total grants and scholarships each year
Caltech
Source: https://www.finaid.caltech.edu/
- no-loan financial aid package that covers tuition, fees, housing, and food for most students from families earning <$100k (with (typical assets)
- aid package that covers the tuition for most students from families earning <$200k (with (typical assets)
Cal Poly Humboldt
Source: Green & Gold Guarantee | Cal Poly Humboldt
- The Green & Gold Guarantee covers tuition and mandatory campus fees for:
For new first-year or transfer students starting in Spring 2026 you qualify if you:
- Are a California resident or qualify for in-state tuition
- Complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA or CADAA by April 2, 2025
- Accept your admission and pay the deposit by November, 1, 2025
- Have a Student Aid Index of 9000 or less. FAFSA filers must be receiving Pell. (Check your FAFSA or CADAA summary email to confirm SAI)
- Enroll full-time (12 units or more per semester)
For new first-year or transfer students starting in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 you qualify if you:
- Are a California resident or qualify for in-state tuition
- Complete the 2026-2027 FAFSA or CADAA by March 2, 2026 including Cal Poly Humboldt
- Accept your admission and pay the deposit by May 1, 2026
- Have a Student Aid Index of 5000 or less. FAFSA filers must be receiving Pell. (Check your FAFSA or CADAA summary email to confirm SAI)
- Enroll full-time (12 units or more per semester)
You must also maintain a Satisfactory Academic Process (SAP) and renew your financial aid application each year by the priority deadline to stay covered.
Carnegie Mellon University
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$75k
- 100% of demonstrated financial need will be met with financial aid offers that do not include loans for students from families earning <$100k
University of Chicago
Source: Undergraduate Aid
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$125k (with (typical assets)
- tuition-free for first-gen students
- financial aid to cover tuition, fees, and standard room and meals for students from families earning <$60k (with (typical assets)
Colby College
Source: https://afa.colby.edu/cost-and-aid/colby-commitment/
- If your family has a total income of $75,000 or less and typical assets, we’ve ensured they will have a parent or guardian contribution of $0.
- For families with a total income of $75,001 to $100,000 and typical assets, your parent or guardian contribution will be no more than $10,000.
- For families with a total income of $100,001 to $150,000 and typical assets, your parent or guardian contribution will be no more than $15,000.
- For families with a total income of $150,001 to $200,000 and typical assets, your parent or guardian contribution will be no more than $20,000 — which may make Colby cost less for you than any other four-year college or university.
Colgate University
Source: Colgate to Be Tuition-Free for Families Earning Less Than $175k
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$175k
- demonstrated aid need met without loans for students from families earning <$200k
Columbia University
Source: Cost & Aid | Columbia Undergraduate Admissions
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$150k (and typical assets)
Concordia College
Source: The Concordia Promise | Concordia College
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$90k AGI (adjusted gross income)
Deep Springs College
Source: Frequently Asked Questions – Deep Springs College
- All students receive a full scholarship valued at over $50k, which includes tuition, room, and board
- Students are expected to provide a small damage deposit and to pay for their own books, travel, medical insurance, and incidental expenses. In cases of demonstrated financial need, these costs too can be covered by scholarship. The Dean consults with admitted students to ensure that all expenses are met
Duke University
Source: Initiative for Students from the Carolinas | Karsh Office of Undergraduate Financial Support
- full tuition grants for NC and SC students from families earning <$150k
- full tuition grants, plus financial assistance for housing, meals and some course materials or other campus expenses, without the need for student loans, for NC and SC students from families earning <$65k
Emory University
Source: Emory to Become Tuition-Free for Families Earning Less Than $200k Annually
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$200k
Franklin & Marshall College
Source: Franklin & Marshall College to Go Tuition Free for PA Students from Families Making Less Than $75k
- Tuition-free for PA households earning $75,000 or less .
- Capped costs —no higher than Penn State’s in-state tuition—for PA families earning >$75,000–$150,000 .
- Financial aid package that meets household’s determined need for PA families earning above $150,000
Harvard University
Source: Harvard Expands Financial Aid for Low-Income Students for 2025-26 Academic Year
- free college (includes all billed expenses including tuition, food, housing, health insurance, and travel costs) + $2,000 start-up grant in their first year and a $2,000 launch grant during their junior year to help support the transition beyond Harvard for students from families earning <$100k
- tuition-free + additional financial aid to cover billed expenses, depending on their financial circumstances for students from families earning <$200k
Johns Hopkins University
Source: Johns Hopkins to be Tuition-Free for Students from Families Earning Less Than $200,000
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$200k
- extra financial aid to cover living expenses and other fees, attending Hopkins free of any University-based cost for students from families earning <$100k
Lehigh University
Source: The Lehigh Commitment | Lehigh University
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$75k (with typical assets)
University of Michigan
Source: https://goblueguarantee.umich.edu/
- tuition-free for students from families w/ annual incomes <$125k & assets <$125k
MIT
- free college (tuition as well as housing, dining, fees, and an allowance for books and personal expenses) for students from families earning <$100k
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$200k
Mount Holyoke College
Source: The Mount Holyoke Commitment | Mount Holyoke College
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$150k
- additional aid available for housing, food and fees based on demonstrated need
NYU
Source: The NYU Promise
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$100k (with typical assets)
- 100% demonstrated need met through a combination of scholarships and grants for every undergraduate–domestic and international–who start as a first-year student admitted to the New York campus
Princeton University
Source: Princeton Enhances Its Groundbreaking Financial Aid Program
- aid to cover the total cost of attendance, including tuition, housing, food, books and personal expenses for students from families earning <$150k
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$250k
Reed College
- tuition-free for all OR, WA, and transfer students from families earning <$100k
- commitment to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for all students for all four years
Rice University
- full coverage for tuition, fees, and living expenses for students from families earning <$75k
- tuition-free scholarships to students from families earning <$140k
- half-tuition scholarships to students from families earning >$140k and <$200k
Rutgers University
Source: Rutgers Tuition-Free for More In-State Students | Rutgers University
- Students from families with adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less receive scholarship funds to cover full annual tuition and mandatory fees
- Students from families with adjusted gross income of $65,001 to $80,000 will pay no more than $3,000 per year toward tuition and mandatory fees
- Students from families with adjusted gross income of $80,001 to $100,000 will pay no more than $5,000 per year toward tuition and mandatory fees
Smith College
Source: Smith Will Be Tuition-Free for Students from Households Earnings up to $150,000
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$150k
Soka University
Source: Financial Aid | Soka University of America
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$90k
- minimum half tuition for students from families earning <$250k with potential for more aid based on need
- one-quarter of tuition free for students from families earning >$250k and <$300k
University of Tennessee
Source: UT Promise Scholarship - The University of Tennessee System
- tuition-free and mandatory fees for students from families earning <$75k AGI (adjusted gross income) and total assets <$75k
Texas A&M University
Source: Affordability - SFAID
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$60k
- tuition support grants for students from families earning >$60k and >$130k
UT at Dallas
Source: Comet Promise | University of Texas at Dallas
- free tuition and fees for students from families earning <$100k with the following conditions:
-
- be a Texas resident at the time of admission
-
- complete the application for admission by Dec. 1 to be admitted by the Jan. 15 deadline.
-
- have demonstrated financial need
-
- be enrolled at least three-quarter time at UT Dallas.
Tufts University
Source: Tufts Goes Tuition Free for Families Earning up to $150,000 Annually
- financial aid with no loans for students from families earning <$60k
- tuition-free for students from families earning <$150k
- scholarships and grants that cover the cost of tuition for students from families earning <$200k
University of Utah
Source: University of Utah to Offer Free Tuition to Utah Students from Families Earning Less Than $100,000
- scholarship that covers full tuition and mandatory fees for eligible first-time, first-year students whose family household income and assets are each <$100k per year
Vanderbilt University
Source: Financial Aid | Vanderbilt University
- full tuition scholarship for students from families earning <$150k
University of Vermont
Source: UVM Promise | Student Financial Services | The University of Vermont
- free-tuition scholarship for students from families earning <$100k AGI with typical assets
Wake Forest University
Source: Wake Forest Will Be Tuition-Free for Students from NC Families Earning Below $200,000 Annually
- free tuition for NC students from families earning <$200k
- financial aid to cover the cost of standard living expenses in addition to the full cost of tuition for NC students from families earning <$100k
- NC students from families earning <$300k - eligible for financial aid covering 50% of tuition
Washington & Lee University
Source: The W&L Promise: Tuition-Free Education for Families Under $150K
- free tuition without loans for students from families earning <$150k
- students from families earning <$75k receive additional support covering room and board
Washington University in St. Louis
Source: https://financialaid.washu.edu/
- WashU Pledge to cover tuition, fees, housing, and food for Missouri and Illinois students from families earning <$75k
University of Wisconsin - Madison
- free tuition and fees for 8 semesters for students from families earning <$56k
- free tuition and fees for 4 semesters for transfer students from families earning <$56k
Yale University
Source: Making Yale Affordable. For Everyone. | Undergraduate Financial Aid
- Families with annual incomes > $75k (and typical assets) often qualify for a “zero parent share” that covers the full cost of tuition and fees, housing, food, and travel with a Yale Scholarship; qualifying students also receive hospitalization insurance coverage and $2,000 start-up grant in their first year
