By Kritika Agarwal
AAU members continue making strides in ensuring that students from all socioeconomic backgrounds in the United States can access a world-class education. Over the past six months, several AAU universities have announced efforts – made possible largely due to proceeds from universities’ crucial endowment funds – to expand free tuition programs for students from families earning an income of $100,000-$200,000:
Emory University: In September, Emory announced that, starting fall 2026, it will be tuition-free for undergraduates whose families earn $200,000 or less. All new and returning students will be able to benefit from the Emory Advantage Plus program. The university noted that it will “continue to meet 100% of demonstrated need for all domestic undergraduate students” and “over the next four years, Emory’s undergraduate financial aid commitment with exceed $1 billion.”
USA Today reported earlier this month that Emory saw a 14% spike in undergraduate admission applications because of the expanded financial aid program.
Johns Hopkins University: In November, Johns Hopkins announced that it is going tuition-free for undergraduate students from families earning up to $200,000. “As a result of the change … students representing more than 85% of American households, according to U.S. Census data, will be able to attend Johns Hopkins without having to pay tuition,” the university said.
Further, students from families earning up to $100,000 per year will receive additional aid to cover fees and living expenses, “allowing them to attend Hopkins with a $0 parent contribution,” the university said.
Johns Hopkins has seen an increase in its enrollment of Pell Grant-eligible students since it significantly expanded financial aid in 2018 (thanks to a $1.8 billion gift from Hopkins alumnus Michael Bloomberg). “From 2018 to 2025, the percentage of limited-income students in the entering first-year class, measured by the number of students eligible for federal Pell Grants, rose from 15.4% to 24.1%, the highest level in the university’s history,” it noted.
Texas A&M University: Earlier this month, Texas A&M University announced that it “has extended its freeze of undergraduate tuition and required fees through the 2026-27 academic year, and it will expand the Aggie Assurance program on the College Station campus beginning in fall 2026 so more families – including those with up to $100,000 in income and assets – can qualify for free tuition.” (The program, which was launched in 2008, applies to Texas residents only.)
The university has frozen undergraduate tuition and fees since 2021. This has helped an increasing number of students graduate debt-free; the university noted that “approximately 63% of 2024-2025 Texas A&M graduates completed their education debt-free, up from 61% the year prior, versus 45% of students nationally.”
Tufts University: In September, Tufts announced that “U.S. undergraduate students whose families make less than $150,000 a year will attend tuition-free, beginning with students entering in the fall of 2026.” In addition, the university will also provide scholarships and grants to cover the cost of tuition for students from families with incomes up to $200,000, depending on their circumstances.
“The cost of higher education continues to be a major concern for families across the country,” said Tufts President Sunil Kumar. “By covering tuition for students from families earning under $150,000, we’re not only easing that burden – we’re sending a clear message that Tufts is committed to meeting the full need of all its students.”
The university noted that the tuition pact is made possible by “the generosity of generations of donors, many of whom have earmarked their gifts to help meet student financial need.”
The University of Utah: In October, the University of Utah announced that, beginning in fall 2026, it will “offer a new scholarship to qualifying students that will guarantee full coverage of tuition and mandatory fees for eligible first-time, first-year students whose family household income and assets are each less than $100,000 per year.” The university noted that the Utah Promise “underscores the university’s commitment to affordability and opportunity as part of its broader focus on student success” and to make high-quality education more accessible to Utahns. (The program is open only to Utah residents.)
“No student should have to choose between pursuing a college education and their family’s financial security. Utah Promise ensures that higher education is within reach for thousands of talented students across our state,” said University of Utah President Taylor Randall.
Yale University: Last month, Yale announced that it is expanding its undergraduate financial aid program to “lower costs for future students and their families.” The university announced that, starting with the 2026-27 academic year, it will “eliminate all expected costs for families with typical assets and annual incomes below $100,000 while also ensuring that families with typical assets and annual incomes below $200,000 receive need-based scholarships that meet or exceed the cost of tuition.”
Previously, only families with typical assets and annual incomes below $75,000 qualified for the program. “By raising the threshold again, to $100,000, nearly half of all American households with children ages 6-17 would now qualify for a financial aid package that does not require parents to contribute anything towards a student’s education,” the university said, adding: “And under the new policy for families with incomes under $200,000, more than 80% of American households would be eligible for a Yale scholarship covering at least the cost of tuition.”
Yale also recently launched a new online tool to give prospective students and their families a better idea of how much it would cost to attend the university.
The universities noted above aren’t the only ones to offer generous financial support to incoming students. Earlier this month, The Washington Post published a database of nearly 1,000 colleges and universities across the country that offer free tuition programs; several AAU members are on the list. For example, the University of California system, which includes eight AAU members, provides Californians from families earning up to $100,000 with enough grant and scholarship funds to cover tuition.
The existence of these programs emphasizes the importance of looking beyond the “sticker price” when considering where to go to college. A college education remains a good investment for most Americans; free-tuition makes that investment even more worth it.
Kritika Agarwal is assistant vice president for communications at AAU.