<p>Yale started this program this year, that if your family makes under 40,000 then your tuition would be covered, Im wondering if any of yall have heard of other schools that do the same. Or schools that will take a majority of the expense away, without giving loans.</p>
<p>What you have posted is not exactly correct. It is not exactly free tuition</p>
<p>What Yale states is :</p>
<p>The 2005-2006 academic year marks an important milestone year for Yale's undergraduate financial aid program. In March of 2005, Yale announced enhancements of its undergraduate financial aid program including the **elimination of a financial contribution from students' parents with total incomes under $45,000 a year and a significant reduction in the expected contribution by parents earning under $60,000.* This change took effect in the 2005-2006 academic year and applied to all students, both new and continuing undergraduates.</p>
<p>Here are some other highlights of Yale's undergraduate financial aid program:</p>
<p> Self-help levels for all four classes in the 2005-2006 academic year have been set at $4,400.</p>
<p>Note: self help aid is workstudy and loans</p>
<p> Students will be able to meet the $4,400 self-help through whatever combination of low-cost loans and earnings they believe makes the most sense for them. In addition, freshmen will be expected to contribute $1,725 from summer earnings and upperclassmen will be expected to contribute $2,250. To help Yale students who choose to work on campus during the school year or summer, the minimum student wage has been set at $10.50/hour for the 2005-2006 academic year.*</p>
<p>Student is responsible for contributing $6150 freshmen year
and $6650 each subsequent year toward their education</p>
<p>OK, thanks for the clarification. Revision: do you know of any schools that will significantly cover the cost of attendance for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, without pilling on the loans?</p>
<p>With the exception of schools that offer full scholarships based on merit or athletics, there is really not going to be "free" tuition at any school because all schools offer a self-help components as students also need to be active participants in the financing of their education. However those schools that meet 100% of demonstrated need that also give heavy grant aid are also amongst the most competitive schools in terms of admissions.</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong, even in the worse case scenario (you did not work and borrowed every penny from Yale) to have $25,000 of debt on a $170,000 education is not a bad thing.</p>
<p>** Dartmouth**
Starting with this fall's enrolling class, the Class of 2009, Dartmouth students whose family incomes are less than $30,000 will receive financial aid packages without student loans. The portion of the package that normally would be composed of loans will be replaced with additional scholarship funds. Barring significant changes to family financial circumstances, this no-loan financial aid package will be renewed each year for all four years. </p>
<p>*Harvard *</p>
<p>Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers announced in February 2004 a major new initiative designed to encourage talented students from families of low and moderate income to attend Harvard College. While the new initiative has four major components, including recruitment, admissions, and a summer academic program designed to prepare talented students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds for college, the financial aid component increases aid for students from low and moderate income families. Beginning with the 2004-05 year, parents in families with incomes of less than $40,000 will no longer be expected to contribute to the cost of attending Harvard for their children. In addition, Harvard will reduce the contributions expected of families with incomes between $40,000 and $60,000. </p>
<p><a href="http://fao.fas.harvard.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://fao.fas.harvard.edu/</a></p>
<p>Princeton</p>
<p>In 1998, Princeton began enacting significant changes in its financial aid policies to make the University more affordable for all undergraduate students. </p>
<p>The centerpiece of this reform was to eliminate the need for the student loan that usually is included in a student's aid package. The loan amount (typically in the $4,000 to $6,000 range) is replaced with an additional grant. </p>
<p>Williams, Amherst and Swarthmore are also excellent schools that give great need based FA that are not heavy on loans. IF you are female, check out the Womens colleges- Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, Smith, Wellesley and Barnard all which give great need based and generous grant aid.</p>
<p>The Federal Direct Stafford Loan provides federally subsidized and guaranteed loans for up to $2,625 per year for first-years, $3,500 for sophomores, and $5,500 for juniors and seniors.</p>
<p>I wish that I had gone to Dartmouth.</p>
<p>As Director of Aid at MIT, I can say that these programs, while wonderful in promoting the availability of funding for students whose parents are in the lowest income quintiles, are not exclusive to the schools listed above. Or rather, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds will receive significant financial aid at many schools.</p>
<p>We at MIT have not gone down the road of fixing a 0 contribution from parents with low incomes for several reasons. You can read more about this in a post from the Yale Daily News [url=<a href="http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=28764%5Dhere%5B/url">http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=28764]here[/url</a>].</p>