BU joins a growing list of institutions that have increased the income threshold for free tuition.
Cydney Scott for Boston University Photography
Starting this fall, Boston University will offer free tuition to students whose families earn up to $200,000 and have typical assets, the university announced Thursday.
Under the BU Promise, financial contributions from those families will be capped at $20,000, meaning financial aid will cover some dining and housing costs in addition to tuition.
Tuition for the 2026–27 academic year is just over $73,000; standard room and board costs roughly $22,000.
Students from families with household incomes up to $75,000 will have all costs covered under the new plan.
“Our community is enhanced by students from a wide range of backgrounds,” BU President Melissa Gilliam said in a statement. “We actively strive to address affordability, debt at graduation, and careers, and the BU Promise is an important component in a student’s success. It is one less barrier to making a student and family’s dream of attending this university become a reality.”
Families earning over $200,000 are also encouraged to apply for financial aid; the university will take into account each family’s individual circumstances, including having other children enrolled in college and living in a high-cost area.
“No family should rule out Boston University because they assume it’s beyond their reach,” said Chris Sedore, vice president and associate provost for enrollment and student administration ad interim.
BU joins a growing list of selective institutions that have raised the threshold for free tuition to $200,000, including Swarthmore College and Yale, Harvard and Rice Universities.
