Yale Offers Free Tuition for New Undergrads from Families Earning Less Than $100,000

The Ivy League school is eliminating tuition and other costs for nearly half of American households with children.

Jan. 27, 2026 at 8:47pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Yale University is providing free tuition and covering other costs for all new undergraduates from families earning less than $100,000 a year. The move aims to increase socioeconomic diversity on campus and follows similar policies at other elite universities in recent years.

Why it matters

By raising the income threshold for free tuition from $75,000 to $100,000, Yale is making its prestigious education more accessible to middle-class families. This aligns with a broader trend among top colleges to boost enrollment of low- and middle-income students through tuition-free and heavily discounted programs.

The details

Yale previously waived all expected costs for students from families earning less than $75,000 a year. The university is now expanding that policy to cover families earning up to $100,000 annually, which it says will benefit nearly half of American households with children ages 6 to 17. The new policy also promises to waive tuition, though not all costs, for those with annual incomes under $200,000.

  • The new tuition-free policy will take effect for students entering Yale this fall.

The players

Yale University

An Ivy League research university located in New Haven, Connecticut, known for its highly selective undergraduate admissions.

Scott Strobel

The provost of Yale University, who stated that the free tuition policy is central to the university's mission to educate exceptional students from all backgrounds.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“This strategic investment is central to our mission to educate exceptional students from all backgrounds. The benefits are evident as these talented students enrich the Yale campus and go on to serve their communities after graduation.”

— Scott Strobel, Provost

The takeaway

Yale's decision to expand free tuition to families earning up to $100,000 per year is part of a broader effort by elite universities to make their prestigious education more accessible to middle-class and low-income students. This move aims to boost socioeconomic diversity on campus and provide life-changing opportunities for talented students from all backgrounds.