Yale University is eliminating tuition and other costs for all new undergraduates from families earning less than $100,000 a year, joining a growing number of elite campuses that are slashing costs for middle- and lower-income families.
The Ivy League school announced the change Tuesday and said it will take effect for students entering this fall.
Yale previously waived all expected costs for students from families earning less than $75,000 a year. By raising the limit to $100,000, the university said nearly half of American households with children ages 6 to 17 will qualify. The new policy also promises to waive tuition — but not all costs — for those with annual incomes under $200,000.
“This strategic investment is central to our mission to educate exceptional students from all backgrounds," Provost Scott Strobel said. "The benefits are evident as these talented students enrich the Yale campus and go on to serve their communities after graduation."
Yale follows a wave of prestigious universities that have made similar moves to help widen campus diversity in recent years, including Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Last fall, Harvard rolled out a nearly identical policy while Penn moved to make tuition free for families making less than $200,000 annually.
Some of the most selective colleges have doubled down on socioeconomic diversity following the Supreme Court’s rejection of affirmative action in college admissions. By recruiting more low-income students, many hoped to buoy racial diversity without running afoul of the Supreme Court. Many campuses brought record numbers of low-income students to their campuses last fall, though many saw shares of Black and Latino students decrease.
___
The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.