Yale University joined Harvard University, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania in expanding its free tuition program to students from households that earn less than $200,000 this week. The University of Southern California’s free tuition program is limited to those whose families make under $80,000.
“[Yale’s new policy threshold] is praiseworthy and much more appropriate given inflation and the enormous cost of living in many parts of the U.S., especially in expensive urban contexts,” said Shaun Harper, a USC professor of education, business, and public policy.
“Unfortunately, $80,000 is not as impactful as it once was,” he said.
Harper added that income-threshold tuition programs were “extraordinarily effective” at ensuring private research universities like Yale and Harvard are accessible to minorities and students of color.
“Highly resourced private universities have a social responsibility to make access as equitable and affordable as possible,” he said.
When including tuition, housing, meal plans, and other fees, the total cost of attendance at USC is close to $100,000. Tuition alone accounts for a staggering $73,260.
Cherry Baldonado, a freshman studying pharmacology and drug development said Yale raising its free-tuition threshold was “incredible.”
“I think [$80,000] is a good number to start with, but then we could also do better,” she said.
Sonali Gupta is a sophomore studying political science. She believes USC has been “notoriously difficult” in their distribution of financial aid and scholarships.
“I know students who may not be at $80,000, but… are just right at the brink of cut off,” Gupta shared. “That’s not really a sufficient gap to kind of completely cut off a system that so many students might benefit from.”
Two out of three students currently receive some form of financial aid from USC, with 21% coming from low-income families, according to the financial aid website.
For Avery Mercer, a freshman studying business administration, the aid limit of $80,000 was not sufficient as a student on the cusp of eligibility. To afford attending USC, she took out unsubsidized and subsidized federal loans in addition to being awarded work-study.
“I think a lot of factors determine if someone can attend a certain college, and I think one of those huge factors is finances,” Mercer said. “ It was a big con [of choosing] USC, so I would like them to take what other schools are doing into account.”
In a statement to Annenberg Media, the University said there were “no changes to the program at this time.”