Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania announces free tuition for students from families making up to $200K

A private Pennsylvania college is the latest to promise free tuition for students from families who make $200,000 or less per year. 

Swarthmore College in Delaware County announced Tuesday that students whose families have annual household incomes of $200,000 or less and typical assets will receive financial aid that covers or exceeds the cost of tuition, according to a press release from the school.

The program, known as the Swarthmore Tuition Guarantee, goes into effect for the 2027-28 school year.

"The program builds on our already robust commitment to access and affordability, and we hope it communicates to families that their financial circumstances are not a barrier to a transformational liberal arts education at Swarthmore," Swarthmore College President Valerie Smith said in the announcement.

For the upcoming school year, Swarthmore's financial aid budget is more than $71 million, an average of $75,000 per student per year. Financial aid and other programs at the college are funded through its endowment, which supports almost 60% of the school's operating budget, the press release says.

Swarthmore enrolls about 1,700 undergraduate students.

Prestigious colleges and universities are increasingly expanding financial aid to attract more middle- and lower-income students.

Princeton University says its financial aid covers the full cost of attendance for most students from families earning up to $150,000 per year, and most students from families making up to $250,000 will pay no tuition. Yale University said earlier this year it would eliminate all costs for families making up to $100,000 and offer enough financial aid to meet or exceed tuition costs for households that earn up to $200,000. Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other universities have similar programs.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Temple University rolled out the Temple Promise program in 2024 to make tuition free for students from the city whose families make $65,000 or less per year.