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  "path": "/education/2026/05/13/university-of-chicago-to-offer-free-tuition-for-students-from-families-making-less-than-250-000-a-year",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-13T21:36:25.968Z",
  "site": "https://www.wbez.org",
  "textContent": "<p>The University of Chicago is joining other top universities in offering free tuition for undergraduate students whose families make under $250,000 a year, the school announced Wednesday as part of an initiative to make the college affordable for middle- and upper-middle-income families.</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://news.uchicago.edu/story/uchicago-will-offer-free-tuition-families-incomes-below-250000-greatly-expanding\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Starting in fall 2027</u></a>, students whose families earn less than $250,000 per year will be able to attend tuition-free, and students whose families make less than $125,000 a year will also get free housing, meals and other fees waived. The offer is meant for families with “typical” assets, which can include modest savings and a home.</p><p>The cost of attendance at U. of C. for undergraduates is creeping toward $100,000 a year. This school year’s cost of tuition, housing and other fees <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2025/08/31/college-university-tuition-costs-fees-illinois-uic-education-northwestern-loyola\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>totaled $98,300, up 3.5% from the previous year.</u></a> Tuition alone was around $71,000.</p><p>“The University of Chicago is proud to sponsor a learning environment characterized by intellectual curiosity, ambition, and rigor,” University President Paul Alivisatos said in a news release. “By deepening our commitment to affordability, we are helping to ensure that the brightest minds can join us.”</p><p>The average undergraduate student at U. of C. receives around $75,000 in financial aid, the release said. In total, the school gives out around $225 million annually in aid.</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/article/which-colleges-offer-free-tuition.html\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Other prestigious universities have taken similar steps</u></a> to make higher education more accessible and ease the cost burden on students and their families. In recent years, schools like <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/03/17/nx-s1-5330842/harvard-admission-tuition-free-affirmative-action\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Harvard University</u></a>, Columbia University and the <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://news.mit.edu/2024/mit-tuition-undergraduates-family-income-1120\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</u></a> have waived tuition fees for students whose families bring in less than a certain amount, typically $150,000 to $200,000 a year.</p><p>In the Chicago area, Northwestern University offers free tuition to most students from families making less than $150,000 a year, and most students whose families bring in less than $70,000 a year attend the school free of charge.</p><p>The announcement is the latest in a series of steps to expand access to U. of C. in recent years.</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://promise.uchicago.edu/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>The UChicago Promise program</u></a>, for example, offers full-tuition scholarships to certain graduates of Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago. Children of CPS educators and Chicago police and firefighters are also eligible for full-tuition scholarships under the program.</p>",
  "title": "University of Chicago to offer free tuition for students from families making less than $250,000 a year",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-13T21:36:25.968Z"
}