The University of Chicago said it will begin guaranteeing free tuition in Autumn Quarter 2027 for undergraduate students from families with annual incomes below $250,000, as it moves to widen access for students it says it is already serving with more than $225 million in annual financial aid.
The college will go further for students from families earning less than $125,000, covering tuition, housing, meals and other fees for those with typical assets. The change builds on the university’s current promise to meet the full financial need of admitted students with loan-free aid, and it comes as the school says its undergraduate aid budget has doubled since 2011.
Paul Alivisatos, the university’s president, said the institution is proud to support a learning environment marked by intellectual curiosity, ambition and rigor, and said the new commitment is intended to help the brightest minds join the campus. James G. Nondorf, who leads admissions and financial aid, said the initiative is meant to radically expand and simplify support for students at a time when many families are unsure what college will cost.
The move lands at a moment when the university is competing for students with increasingly complex financial needs, especially middle-income families, first-generation students, students from rural communities and those aiming for public service. University officials say the package is meant to make the school’s offer easier to understand while reinforcing the broader student experience built around the Core curriculum, study abroad, student organizations and research opportunities.
The school says it connects undergraduates with more than 5,000 paid internships annually, and that 99% of students complete a substantive internship or research experience during their time in the College. It also says 98% of students in the Class of 2025 received offers for employment, graduate school or other post-college opportunities, a record the university is likely to cite as it tries to show that affordability and outcome are part of the same pitch.
The new policy does not take effect until 2027, but the target is clear now: the University of Chicago is using its endowment and aid machinery to make a more expensive education look more reachable. Whether that is enough to change who applies, who enrolls and who can stay is the question the university has now put to the market it wants to win.
