Which colleges offer free tuition? Complete list of schools

Tuition-free colleges exist, you just need to know where to find them. The cost of college in the United States continues to rise, and these colleges are pushing back – especially the most expensive colleges.

The promise of free college tuition is a strong lure for low-income students who can afford to attend college. But, many free tutoring programs come with caveats that cause them to fall short of their promises.

Let’s take a look at what you need to know about tuition-free colleges, as well as a list of some US colleges that are tuition-free. We also share some foreign colleges that also have free tuition programs that may be of interest.

You may also want to check out our college investor’s guide on how to pay for college.

How do these free tuition policies work?

Each school is allowed to set its own financial aid policy. Most colleges that advertise “free tuition” still expect students to meet other eligibility criteria, such as filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), maintaining enrollment status, and meeting income limits. 

Free tuition generally covers only the cost of tuition – not the entire cost of attendance. Students may still be responsible for fees, accommodation, food, books and other costs. However, many schools are offering tiered policies that can cover tuition at one level and the entire cost of attendance at another.

For example, Harvard offers free tuition to families earning less than $200,000, but will cover all costs (including housing) for families earning less than $100,000 per year.

List of colleges with free tuition or income-based tuition waivers

Below is a non-exhaustive list of colleges that publicly advertise that they will cover tuition for undergraduate students under certain household-income limits. You may have noticed that many of these schools are some of the most expensive colleges in America. Readers should confirm current eligibility directly with each institution.

Federal Working College

federally recognized work college All students living on campus, regardless of financial need, are required to work as part of the college learning experience. Six of these colleges offer free tuition to students:

There are also several colleges that are not federally accredited work colleges, but where students are required to work and receive free tuition:

Deep Springs College offers free tuition and free room and board.

There are many trade schools that offer free tuition.

U.S. military academies provide free tuition, room, and board. Students are required to serve in the US Armed Forces after graduation.

Connected: Military and VA education benefits to pay for college

No-loan financial aid policies

In addition to these colleges, there are dozens of colleges with “no loan” financial aid policies that offer free tuition to low-income students. These colleges include Ivy League institutions, MIT, and Stanford University.

Other colleges that offer free tuition to all or some of their students include:

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Arts (NY) previously offered free tuition for more than a century, but had to begin charging tuition in 2012 due to financial challenges. The college is raising funds to enable the return of free tuition in the future.

medical school

Many medical schools offer free tuition to all students regardless of financial need. These include Cleveland Clinic, Kaiser Permanente and New York University. Other medical schools offer free tuition based on financial need. These colleges include Columbia University, Cornell University, and Washington University in St. Louis. UCLA offers free tuition based on academic merit.

community colleges

Some community colleges do not charge tuition. For example, the California College Promise Program, formerly known as BOG Fee Waiver, provides free tuition at the state’s community colleges. Students whose family income is less than approximately 150% of the poverty line are eligible for tuition and fees waiver.

At other community colleges, a combination of federal and state grants may be enough to cover the cost of tuition for some low-income students, such as students who are eligible for the maximum Federal Pell Grant.

Many states offer College Promise programs that cover tuition at an in-state public college for students graduating from a public high school. These programs include the New York Excelsior Scholarship, Oregon Promise, Rhode Island Promise, and Tennessee Promise.

there are hundreds like this College Promise Program Offered by specific cities such as the Kalamazoo Promise, Seattle Promise, and Pittsburgh Promise. Most are last-dollar financial aid programs, where all other sources of financial aid are considered applied to tuition before the remaining tuition is covered by the Promise program. Full tuition is often limited to students who have attended 12 years of public elementary and secondary school, rather than just those who have graduated from a public high school.

University of the People is an accredited online college that does not charge tuition, although it does charge a course evaluation fee.

Campaign for Free College Tuition Advocating in favor of free public college tuition programs.

Which foreign colleges have free tuition?

Two dozen countries provide free public college tuition to their citizens. Some also offer free tuition to international students.

The following countries offer free tuition to international students, including US students. However, some of these colleges teach classes in the local language instead of English.

• Brazil (classes taught in Portuguese)
• Czech Republic (classes taught in Czech language)
• finland
• Germany
• Greece (classes taught in Greek)
• iceland
• luxembourg
• norway
• panama

Free tuition does not include living expenses. Some of these countries, such as Norway, have a high cost of living. (U.S. federal student aid can be used to pay for housing, dining, and other college costs at approximately 400 foreign universities, but funding is limited to federal student loans, not grants. 529 college savings plans can be used to pay for living expenses at these colleges abroad, but not transportation.)

Other countries such as France, Slovenia, and Sweden are open to European Union (EU) citizens, but not to US students.

A dozen countries offer free tuition only to their citizens. These countries include Argentina, Austria, Denmark, Egypt, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, Poland, Scotland, Spain, Turkey and Uruguay.

Limitations of Free Tuition Programs

Although free tuition programs make college more affordable, there are several limitations that families should be aware of.

• Free tuition doesn’t mean free college. Most free tuition programs cover the cost of tuition and fees, but not room and board, books and supplies, or other college costs. Some do not include fees, which can be significant at some colleges. At a community college, textbooks can be a significant portion of the cost of college.
• Many free-tuition programs are last-dollar, meaning that all other sources of financial aid must first be applied to tuition before the free-tuition program can cover the remaining tuition costs. This may prevent a student from using Federal Pell Grants and state grants to cover living expenses and other college costs.
• The student may be required to be a resident of a particular city or state. The student may be required to attend and graduate from specialized public schools in the city. The student may have to agree to live in the city or state for several years after graduating college.
• Some free-tuition programs require the student to enroll in college immediately after graduating from high school.
• Many free-tuition programs require students to enroll in college full-time. The student may also be required to live on campus.
• Some free-tuition programs are limited to students with demonstrated financial need or Pell Grant recipients.
• Some free-tuition programs require all students to work a part-time job on campus. Others require the student to participate in community service during the academic year and summer.
• Some free-tuition programs require the student to maintain at least a minimum GPA, such as a 2.0, 2.5, or 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.

Some education tax benefits, such as the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit (LLTC) and tax-exempt scholarships, are based on the amount spent on tuition, fees and course materials (for example, textbooks, supplies and equipment). If tuition is paid by a free-tuition program, it may reduce or eliminate eligibility for these tax breaks.

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