Yale Will Now Offer Free Tuition for Students Whose Families Make Less Than $200K a Year

If the only thing standing between you and attending college at the prestigious Yale University, then you're in luck. Yale has announced that it will be offering free tuition to students whose families make under $200,000 a year, joining the ranks of some other colleges and universities that have made higher education more accessible to those who wouldn't otherwise have the financial means to attend.

According to Yale, this change isn't in effect quite yet, though, and current students can't benefit.

However, those attending in the upcoming years will be able to take full advantage of the new financial perks, which should impact somewhere around half of all American households.

That also aligns with Yale's existing demographics, which makes this good news all around. Curious how Yale's new tuition requirements will impact you and your family, continue reading to see how it all breaks down, including when applications will actually be able to take advantage of the sliding scale prices.

On Jan. 27, 2026, Yale University announced that it would offer free tuition to students whose household earnings are below $200,000 a year. According to the announcement, The Hill says students who meet the $200,000 cutoff will be given scholarships to cover the cost of tuition, and those whose families make less than $100,000 won't be charged anything at all, including housing and meal plans.

Yale's Dean of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid said that this removes a barrier for some.

“I am thrilled that Yale is making this important investment in affordability,” Jeremiah Quinlan said of the university's plan. “With this announcement, we reiterate and reinforce Yale’s commitment to ensuring that cost will never be a barrier between promising students and a Yale College education.”

The Hill says that this would benefit approximately 50 percent of U.S. households, as well as 56 percent of Yale's undergraduate classes. As of 2026, Yale's price tag was $90,000 a year.

The change will impact the 2026-2027 academic year. And while it will be a boon for some students, it sounds like the university has already been working with certain student populations to ensure that those who qualify to attend can do so without having to worry about how they will afford it.

Currently, Yale offers a lot of financial aid, as well as grants that can be used for everything from purchasing winter gear (Yale is located in Connecticut) to pursuing opportunities for studying abroad.

Looking for help paying for college, but can't quite get that acceptance letter from Yale? There are a few other colleges and universities that offer free tuition based off your family's earnings, according to the Road2College blog, and they include but aren't limited to:

• Emory University
• Texas A&M
• Amherst
• Washington University in St. Louis
• Wayne State Guarantee
• UNC Chapel Hill

• University of Chicago
• Brown
• Dartmouth
• University of Michigan
• Columbia University