Harvard says poor students won't have to pay

In an attempt to reach out to more students from low-and moderate-income families, Harvard University is guaranteeing that households earning less than $40,000 annually won't have to pay for their children's school education.

Through the recently announced initiative Harvard also will reduce the contributions expected of families earning between $40,000 and $60,000 and intensify its effort to recruit students from disadvantaged backgrounds. It will set aside an additional $2 million to cover the expanded financial aid commitment, increasing its annual undergraduate scholarship budget to just under $80 million.

"We want to send the strongest possible message that Harvard is open to talented students from all economic backgrounds," university president Lawrence H. Summers said in the announcement. "Too often, outstanding students from families of modest means do not believe that college is an option for them--much less an Ivy League university."

Approximately 1,000 of Harvard's 6,600 undergraduates are expected to benefit from the new program.

Tuition and fees will not be absolutely free for students qualifying under the plan; they still will be asked to meet "self help" requirements through scholarships, work-study and summer jobs. But families making less than $40,000 will no longer have to pay the current $2,300 expected contribution, and families between 40,000 and $60,000 will see their contribution decrease by an average of $1,250.

Harvard said it will identify and visit high schools where students might not consider Harvard an option, and reach out to students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds to make them aware of its financial aid resources. For these students Harvard said it would waive application fees, pay for travel for campus visits and make funds available for books, winter clothing, medical care and other extraordinary expenses.

This year tuition, room, board and fees at Harvard cost $37,928; two-thirds of students receive some form of financial aid.

The university said its research showed that students from households with incomes below $50,000 would have never considered Harvard had it not been for the encouragement of faculty or alumni or a recruiting letter. Many of those students said their families had an aversion to debt and that they had difficulty meeting routine school expenses.

In 2003, Harvard announced a program including a combination of low-interest loans for all graduate students and $14 million in grants for students in public service fields.

"Our doors have long been open to talented students regardless of financial need, but many students simply do not know or believe this," said Summers. "We are determined to change both the perception and the reality."