Starting in the fall of 2026, Emory University in Atlanta will offer free tuition to students from families earning $200,000 or less through its new Emory Advantage Plus program.

Interim President Leah Ward Sears announced the program — which will automatically consider all new and returning students eligible for need-based financial aid — in a news release on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. Emory will also continue to cover the costs associated with the demonstrated financial needs of all domestic undergraduate students.

“Offering free tuition to every student whose family income is $200,000 or less is about leadership,” Sears said in the release.

“We want great students to come here without regard to the cost. And we will do everything in our power to give them a great education without the burden of crushing debt,” Sears continued.

The university’s original Emory Advantage program launched in 2007 to support students from lower-income families, the news release states. In 2022, it was expanded to eliminate need-based loans from undergraduate financial aid packages, replacing them with institutional grants and scholarships.

Per the news release, Emory Advantage Plus stems from Emory’s ongoing commitment to removing financial barriers to college education — a longstanding effort Sears called “an expansion of opportunity, of dreams, and what’s possible at Emory.”

The program marks a significant expansion of the university’s financial aid efforts, with Emory’s commitment projected to exceed $1 billion over the next four years.

Nearly 1,050 Emory undergraduates hail from Georgia and about 3,100 students — roughly 40% of the undergraduate population — receive support through Emory Advantage, the news release states. Currently, 60% receive scholarships that fully cover or exceed the cost of tuition — a number that is expected to increase to 80% with Emory Advantage Plus.

“When students sit at the kitchen table with their parents to discuss college, I don’t want finances to be a consideration,” Sears noted in the release.

“If they qualify to come to Emory and they want to come to Emory, we will make sure they can afford Emory,” Sears added.

Undergraduate students and their families must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the College Scholarship Service Profile to be considered for the Emory Advantage Plus program.

Emory Joins Harvard In Tuition-Free Access

The improved Emory Advantage Plus program places Emory alongside institutions like Harvard University.

In March, the Cambridge, MA-based Ivy League institution announced that, starting in the 2025–2026 academic year, Harvard College students from families earning $200,000 or less will receive full coverage for tuition, housing, meals, health insurance, and travel, AFROTECH™ previously reported.

The funding comes through the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative, which aims to make education “affordable to more students than ever,” according to The Harvard Gazette. Under the expansion, approximately 86% of U.S. families are eligible for financial aid, the outlet notes.

“We know the most talented students come from different socioeconomic backgrounds and experiences, from every state and around the globe,” William R. Fitzsimmons, Harvard College’s dean of admissions and financial aid told the outlet.

“Our financial aid is critical to ensuring that these students know Harvard College is a place where they can be part of a vibrant learning community strengthened by their presence and participation,” he added.