Which colleges offer free tuition, and at what family income?
A free tuition line is the family income below or up to which a college says its financial aid will cover at least the full cost of tuition. Of the 50 colleges in this count, the same set as our College AI Policy Index, 38 publish such a line for students entering in fall 2027. Thirty-one are open to families across the country, several of them only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and seven are limited to students from particular states or regions, such as Michigan, Virginia or the Carolinas. The lines run from $250,000 at Princeton and the University of Chicago down to $75,000 at Carnegie Mellon, Colby and Washington University in St. Louis.
The table lists every published line with the second, lower line many colleges set for the full cost of attendance, the asset test, the treatment of the family home and who is eligible. Each college name links to the official page for its line; the sources list below adds the other pages used.
| College | Free tuition at family income | Full cost covered or $0 parent contribution | Asset test | Family home | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton University | Up to $250,000 (most families) | Up to $150,000 (most families) | Formula counts 5% of assets above $175,000 | Excluded | In place since fall 2025; lines stated in Princeton news |
| University of Chicago | Below $250,000 | Below $125,000: tuition, housing, meals and fees | Typical assets, described by type of asset | Excluded | $250,000 line starts Autumn Quarter 2027; families are evaluated in the first year only |
| Boston University | Below $200,000 | $75,000 or less | Typical assets, described by type of asset | Excluded (asset list names only other real estate) | Since 2026-27; first-time, first-year students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents |
| Caltech | Less than $200,000 (most students) | Less than $100,000 (most students) | Typical assets, not defined | Excluded | No start date published |
| Emory University | Up to $200,000 | Not published | Typical assets, not defined | Not stated | Since fall 2026; domestic students |
| Harvard University | $200,000 and below | $100,000 and below | Typical assets, not defined | Typically excluded | Since 2025-26 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Up to $200,000 | Parent cost $0 up to $100,000 | Assets generally less than three times annual income | Excluded | Since 2026-27; Krieger and Whiting schools |
| MIT | Under $200,000 (typically) | Parents pay nothing below $100,000 | Typical assets, not defined | Excluded | Since 2025-26 |
| University of Pennsylvania | $200,000 or below | $75,000 or less: tuition, fees, housing and dining covered, parent contribution $2,000 or less | Liquid assets of $50,000 or less; no business, farm or other real estate | Excluded | Since 2025-26; tuition covered through grants and work-study; the page summary says below $200,000 |
| Rice University | Up to $200,000 | Below $100,000 | Typical assets, not defined | Counted | Raised from $140,000 for fall 2027; not open to international students |
| Swarthmore College | $200,000 or less | Not published | Typical assets, not defined | A capped share counted | New for fall 2027; domestic students |
| Vanderbilt University | $200,000 or less | Not published | Parent net worth under $250,000 | Excluded | Raised from $150,000 for fall 2027 |
| Wellesley College | $200,000 or less | Not published | Typical assets, described in words | A modest amount counted | Raised from $150,000 for fall 2027; U.S. citizens and permanent residents; students and parents or legal guardians must reside and work in the U.S.; students must live on campus on the meal plan |
| Williams College | $200,000 or less | Not published | Typical assets, not defined | Counted | No start date published |
| Yale University | Below $200,000 | Below $100,000 | Typical assets, not defined | Counted | Since 2026-27 |
| Colgate University | $175,000 or less (generally) | Not published | Typical assets, described by type of asset | Counted | Since fall 2026; U.S. citizens and permanent residents |
| Dartmouth College | Under $175,000 | Below $125,000 | Typical assets, not defined | Counted | No start date published |
| Davidson College | Up to $175,000 | $85,000 or less: tuition, fees, housing and meals | Typical assets, not defined | Not stated | New for fall 2027 entry; U.S. citizens living in the U.S. and full U.S. residents |
| Middlebury College | Less than $175,000 | Not published | Typical assets, described by type of asset | Not stated (equity in real estate listed among assets reviewed) | New for fall 2027 entry; not an automatic four-year guarantee |
| Columbia University | Less than $150,000 | Parent contribution $0 below $66,000 | Assets up to approximately $250,000 | Counted | Columbia College and Columbia Engineering |
| Northwestern University | Less than $150,000 (most families) | Less than $70,000 (most families) | None stated | Not stated | Stated as an outcome for most families |
| University of Notre Dame | Up to $150,000 | Up to $60,000 (most families) | Typical assets, not defined | Counted | Since 2026-27 |
| Pomona College | $150,000 or less (most students) | Not published | Typical assets, not defined | Not stated (real estate listed among household assets) | Stated in a May 2025 college news story |
| Stanford University | Less than $150,000 | Less than $100,000 | Typical assets, not defined | Excluded | Full-cost line since 2023-24; tuition line in place before that |
| Tufts University | Under $150,000 | Not published | Typical assets, not defined | Counted | Since fall 2026; U.S. undergraduates; not an automatic four-year guarantee |
| Brown University | $125,000 or below (may be eligible) | Less than $60,000 with assets under $100,000 | Typical assets, described by type of asset | Excluded | Since 2022-23 |
| Cornell University | Up to $125,000 | Up to $75,000, including a $5,000 work-study award | Typical assets, not defined | Counted | Stated in a March 2026 Cornell Chronicle story |
| New York University | Less than $100,000 | Not published | Assets in line with income, no figure given | Counted | Since 2024-25; first-year students admitted to the New York campus who apply by the aid deadlines; transfer students not eligible; NYU says it meets need regardless of citizenship status |
| University of Southern California | $80,000 or less | Not published | Typical assets, not defined | Not counted (2020 announcement) | U.S. families |
| Carnegie Mellon University | $75,000 or less | Not published | Typical assets, described by type of asset | Excluded | Since 2025-26; U.S. citizens and permanent residents, Pittsburgh campus |
| Colby College | $75,000 or less (parent contribution $0) | $75,000 or less (parent contribution $0) | Typical assets, not defined | Not stated (home equity requested on aid questionnaire) | Colby states a $0 parent contribution rather than a tuition line |
| Duke University | $150,000 or less | Not published | Typical assets, described by type of asset | A capped share counted | North Carolina and South Carolina residents only; since 2023-24 |
| University of Michigan | $125,000 and under | Not published | Assets below $125,000 | Counted | Michigan residents only; since fall 2025 |
| UC Berkeley | Up to $100,000 (most California families) | Not published | None stated on the pages read | Not stated | California families only (Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan) |
| UCLA | Up to $100,000 (most California families) | Not published | None stated on the pages read | Not stated | California families only; line stated on University of California pages |
| University of Virginia | $100,000 or less | $50,000 or less: tuition, fees, housing and food | Assets under $100,000 | Excluded | Virginia families eligible for in-state tuition only |
| UNC Chapel Hill | Less than $80,000 | Not published | Typical assets, described by type of asset | Not stated | North Carolina residents only; since fall 2024 |
| Washington University in St. Louis | $75,000 or less (full cost) | $75,000 or less | None stated | Excluded | WashU Pledge; first-year, full-time U.S. citizens and permanent residents who live in or attend high school in Missouri or one of 53 Illinois counties |
The wording at the line matters for a family that sits right on it. Colleges word their lines in several ways, from below the figure to up to it, and many of the colleges in the table word the same line more than one way on their own pages. Penn, for example, says below $200,000 in its summary and $200,000 or below in its eligibility chart, and Wellesley uses $200,000 or less, less than $200,000 and up to $200,000 across its pages. A family at the exact figure should ask the aid office which reading applies.
Which colleges added or raised a free tuition line for fall 2027?
Seven colleges in the count add or raise a line for students entering in fall 2027, the class applying in the 2026-27 cycle:
- University of Chicago: free tuition for families with income below $250,000 and typical assets, starting in Autumn Quarter 2027, announced May 13, 2026. Families below $125,000 also receive free housing, meals and fees.
- Rice: full tuition for families with income up to $200,000, up from $140,000, for students entering in fall 2027, announced August 3, 2026.
- Vanderbilt: a full-tuition scholarship at $200,000 or less, up from $150,000, starting in fall 2027 for new and current students, announced September 16, 2026.
- Swarthmore: the Swarthmore Tuition Guarantee covers at least tuition at $200,000 or less from fall 2027, announced May 26, 2026; it is open to domestic students.
- Wellesley: a tuition-free education at $200,000 or less with typical assets, up from $150,000, from fall 2027, announced September 9, 2026; it is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who, with their parents or legal guardians, reside and work in the United States, and who live on campus on the college meal plan.
- Davidson: tuition-free attendance for new students with family income from $85,000 to $175,000, and full tuition, fees, housing and meals at $85,000 or less, from fall 2027, announced July 6, 2026.
- Middlebury: tuition covered for family income below $175,000 with typical assets, starting with students entering in fall 2027, announced September 23, 2026; Middlebury says the program is not an automatic four-year guarantee.
The change is recent across the whole group. At least 20 of the 38 lines took effect or rose for students entering in fall 2025 or later: Harvard, MIT, Penn, Princeton, Michigan and Carnegie Mellon for fall 2025; Boston University, Colgate, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Tufts and Yale for fall 2026; and the seven above for fall 2027. Cornell and Dartmouth may belong on that list too, but neither dates its line on its aid pages. A family that compared colleges two years ago is working from old figures. For how these lines fit with merit aid, see our guide to financial aid for upper-middle-class families.
What does typical assets mean in a free tuition promise?
On the pages we read, 34 of the 38 lines depend on the family’s assets as well as its income, most often through the phrase typical assets: savings, investments, business equity and other real estate in the range the college expects for that income. At least seven of the 34 put a number on the test:
- Johns Hopkins: typical assets are generally less than three times annual income.
- Columbia: for incomes up to $150,000, typical assets are those up to approximately $250,000, and home equity is included.
- Vanderbilt: generally a total net worth of less than $250,000 for the parents and/or $150,000 for the student, excluding retirement accounts and the family home.
- Penn: liquid assets of $50,000 or less, no business or farm, and no real estate beyond the primary home.
- Princeton: its contribution formula counts 5% of assets above $175,000, excluding retirement holdings and the primary residence.
- Michigan: assets below $125,000, including home equity, for Michigan residents.
- Virginia: assets under $100,000, excluding the primary home, for Virginia families.
The other 27 either list the kinds of assets they review without a figure for the tuition line, as Boston University, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Colgate, Duke and Middlebury do, or use the term without defining it. Brown does set an asset limit of $100,000 for its lower, full-cost line. In our experience, this is where families with substantial savings, a second property or a family business are most often surprised: their income meets the line, but the aid office sets the asset test case by case.
Does the family home count against a free tuition line?
It depends on the college, and the difference can decide whether a family qualifies. Fourteen of the 38 count home equity in some form: Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Michigan, NYU, Notre Dame, Rice, Tufts, Williams and Yale count it, Duke and Swarthmore count a capped share, and Wellesley says typical assets may include a modest amount. Fourteen leave the primary home out: Boston University, Brown, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Harvard (typically), Johns Hopkins, MIT, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, the University of Chicago, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Washington University in St. Louis, most of them in so many words and Boston University and MIT by listing only other real estate among the assets they count. USC said in its 2020 announcement that owning a home would not count. The rest do not say clearly on the pages we read; Colby, for example, asks for home equity on its financial aid questionnaire without saying how it is used, and Middlebury and Pomona list real estate among the assets they review without singling out the home.
For a family whose savings sit mostly in a house, the home can push the family past the asset test at a college that counts it, such as Columbia or Michigan, while the same home does not count at Harvard or Penn. The CSS Profile asks for home value and debt either way, so the answer comes from each college’s own policy, not from the form.
What does free tuition leave a family to pay?
Tuition is the largest single charge, but it is not the whole bill. At Harvard, tuition for 2026-27 is $62,226 of $91,634 in billed costs, with fees, housing and food making up the rest, plus books, personal expenses and travel. Many colleges also set a lower line, most often $100,000, at or below which parents pay nothing or billed costs are covered: $100,000 at Caltech (most students), Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Rice, Stanford and Yale; $125,000 at the University of Chicago; and $150,000 for most families at Princeton. Seventeen of the 38 publish no lower line.
Between the two lines, a family pays no tuition but is assessed for housing, food and other costs based on need. Our Ivy League cost and net price guide shows the 2026-27 cost of attendance at each Ivy, and the net price comparison calculator helps compare estimates side by side.
Which selective colleges publish no free tuition line, and does that mean less aid?
Twelve of the 50 publish no income line for free tuition. That does not mean their aid is less generous. Amherst, Bowdoin and Wesleyan, for example, say they meet full demonstrated need without loans, and Hamilton says it meets full demonstrated need; they simply do not state an income figure.
- Amherst College: meets full demonstrated need with no packaged student loans.
- Barnard College: meets need with grants, loans and work; counts home equity.
- Boston College: meets need; first-year packages can include a $3,500 loan.
- Bowdoin College: meets full need with loan-free packages.
- Claremont McKenna College: meets need with grants, work-study and loans.
- Georgetown University: meets need for U.S. citizens and permanent residents; packages can include federal loans.
- Georgia Tech: offers the selective Tech Promise scholarship, a debt-free degree for chosen Georgia residents with family income below $55,500.
- Hamilton College: meets full demonstrated need; publishes average awards by income band rather than an income line.
- Harvey Mudd College: meets need; packages can include loans.
- Northeastern University: commits to meet full demonstrated need.
- Tulane University: publishes income lines only for need-based programs, including the Louisiana Promise for Louisiana students.
- Wesleyan University: meets full need without loans regardless of family income.
How should a family use free tuition lines when building a college list?
In our experience, a published line is a useful first screen and a poor final answer. Read the boundary wording if your income is near the figure, read the asset test and the home equity rule, and check whether the line is limited to state residents, U.S. citizens or first-year students. Then run each college’s net price calculator with your actual figures, since two families with the same income can receive different offers.
Timing matters too. Students admitted Early Decision receive their aid offer with the admission decision, and colleges generally release a student whose offer makes attendance unaffordable, but that decision is easier to make with estimates in hand before applying. Our guide to Early Decision and financial aid covers that step, and the analysis of Harvard aid for high-earning families shows how one college treats incomes above its line.
How was this table built?
We read the financial aid, admissions and news pages of each of the 50 colleges in a live browser on November 4, 2026, and recorded the published income line, its exact wording, the full-cost line, the asset and home equity terms, residency or citizenship limits and the start date. A second reader then checked every line against the same official pages. A line counts when the college states an income below or up to which aid covers at least tuition for eligible families; awards chosen after a separate review, such as the Georgia Tech Promise, which also requires HOPE or Zell Miller eligibility and caps income and assets together at $55,500, are listed with the colleges that publish no line. Lines hedged with words such as most or typically are included and marked. Cornell’s line comes from its official news office, Pomona’s from a college news story, and the UCLA line from University of California systemwide pages. The table may be reproduced with credit to Oriel Admissions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Colleges With Free Tuition
For students entering in fall 2027, 15 of the 50 highly selective colleges in the Oriel Admissions count publish a free tuition line at $200,000 or more: Princeton and the University of Chicago at $250,000, and Boston University, Caltech, Emory, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Penn, Rice, Swarthmore, Vanderbilt, Wellesley, Williams and Yale at $200,000. Several, including Boston University, Caltech, MIT and Yale, word the line as below or under $200,000, so a family earning exactly $200,000 should confirm which reading applies.
Rice, Vanderbilt and Wellesley raised their lines to $200,000, and the University of Chicago set a line at $250,000 starting in Autumn Quarter 2027. Swarthmore added a line at $200,000, and Davidson and Middlebury added lines at $175,000.
It means family savings, investments and other assets in the range a college expects for that income. Most colleges do not put a number on it. Johns Hopkins uses assets generally less than three times annual income, Columbia about $250,000, Vanderbilt a parent net worth under $250,000, and Penn liquid assets of $50,000 or less.
It depends on the college. Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Michigan, NYU, Notre Dame, Rice, Tufts, Williams and Yale count it, and Duke and Swarthmore count a capped share. MIT, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, the University of Chicago, Vanderbilt and Washington University in St. Louis are among the colleges that leave the primary home out, and Harvard typically does.
No. At Harvard, tuition is $62,226 of $91,634 in billed costs for 2026-27. Many colleges set a lower line, most often $100,000, at or below which parents pay nothing or billed costs are covered, and assess housing and food by need above it.
Not necessarily. Amherst, Bowdoin and Wesleyan publish no income line but say they meet full demonstrated need without loans.
The wording varies. Several call theirs a guarantee, including the University of Chicago, Penn, Swarthmore and Wellesley, while Caltech and Princeton say most families in range receive it, MIT says students typically attend tuition free, and Middlebury and Tufts say theirs is not an automatic four-year guarantee.
As a first screen. Read the asset and home equity terms and run the net price calculator of each college before a list is final, because two families with the same income can receive different offers.
Sources: Harvard College Financial Aid, MIT Student Financial Services, Princeton Office of Financial Aid, Princeton University news, September 4, 2026, Penn Student Registration and Financial Services, Yale News, UChicago News, Vanderbilt Undergraduate Admissions, Rice Office of Financial Aid, Swarthmore Financial Aid, Wellesley Tuition Promise, Wellesley College announcement, September 9, 2026, Davidson College News, Middlebury Student Financial Services, Johns Hopkins Student Financial Services, Dartmouth Financial Aid FAQs, Williams Student Financial Services glossary, Cornell Financial Aid glossary, Yale Undergraduate Financial Aid terminology, Duke awarding policy, WashU How Aid Works, UChicago College Aid Handbook 2026-27, Columbia Financial Aid, Harvard cost of attendance 2026-27, Vanderbilt admissions blog, September 16, 2026. Each college in the table links to its own source page. Read November 4, 2026.
About Oriel Admissions
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