10 Elite Colleges Where the Middle Class Don’t Pay Tuition

Elite Schools Where Middle Class don't Pay tuition - Harvard

A college education has increasingly become a growing commodity in the United States (and the world) as we are seeing more and more people attend university. There also has been a rise in the amount of colleges in the country as well, as nearly everyday you see a new advertisement of a university. While many experts feel that we are entering into a “college bubble” that’s bound to pop, this is not stopping the majority of young Americans in immigrants from wanting to attend college.

For many, attending a university is a privilege. As college tuition continues to get more expensive, it is obviously very difficult for many to afford to attend a university that costs $60,000 dollars per year. So what does one do if they get into an elite university that is very expensive? Well for one you can apply for scholarships and loans, but you will eventually have to pay those loans back. That is often very crippling for young graduates who are either unemployed or not making a quality living. Fortunately enough, there are many universities that offer free tuition for individuals and families that make under a certain income per year. It’s not just unknown schools that are doing this, there are many elite colleges and universities that are offering these types of programs. Actually most of the well-known Ivy League and elite universities in the country are doing this. These schools have so much money in endowments, they theoretically don’t even need to charge any students for tuition. Still these programs are designed for middle class Americans, which according to the Pew Research Center, are “families of three that make between $40,667 and $122,000 dollars”. So what are some of these schools where tuition is free? Here are ten elite universities where the middle class pay absolutely no tuition.

10. MIT 

For engineering and technology, there really aren’t any better schools out there than MIT. With a 8% acceptance rate it certainly is very exclusive. Tuition for one year at MIT costs $46,729 dollars however for families that make under $75,000 per year, tuition is free.

9. Stanford 

Stanford University just recently made the news as they are yet another university that offers free tuition for those that make a certain amount. Normally it costs around $46,000 per year to attend here, but if your family makes less than $65,000 per year not only is tuition covered, but room and board as well. Additionally families that make between $65,000 and $125,000 don’t have to pay tuition.

8. Princeton 

Princeton is certainly another extremely elite and exclusive school, one that is also costly to attend. Luckily familes that make under $54,000 per year don’t pay tuition, room, and board and familes that make less than $120,000 don’t pay for tuition.

7. Cornell 

Cornell also offers a great break for families that make a certain amount. If your family makes less than $60,000 per year then tuition, room, and board are covered by the school.

6. Columbia 

Columbia has exactly the same program as Cornell: familes that make less than $60,000 do not pay tuition, room, or board. This is a great break considering tuition costs $51,108 per year at this school.

5. Brown

Brown is yet another elite school that allows students who are apart of middle class familes to attend for free. At Brown, tuition, room, and board are covered if your family makes less than $60,000 per year.

4. Duke  

Very similar to the other universities we just looked at, Duke also has a program for families in a certain income bracket. Those whose familes make less than $60,000 per year can attend for free, and all expenses will be paid for by the university.

3. Dartmouth

Dartmouth has one of the most generous programs on our list of elite schools. Their tuition is about $48,000 per year however familes that make less than $100,000 dollars per year do not need to pay for tuition. You will still need to pay for room and board however.

2. Yale 

Yale is obviously an extremely desirable and expensive university to attend. Luckily if your family makes less than $65,000 per year the university will cover tuition, room, and board. All you have to do is get in, which is obviously very difficult.

1. Harvard

Finally the last school that we are going to look at is Harvard. Out of all those that applied in 2019, only 5.3 percent were accepted. As one of the most prestigious universities in the world, tuition is expensive at $45,278 dollars per year. However familes that make $65,000 dollars or less do not have to worry about tuition, room, and board.

Photo from money.cnn.com/shutterstock

Written by Sebastian Hensiek

From Philadelphia, Sebastian is a fan of music, writing, art, and entertainment.