ATLANTA (WANF/Gray News) – Beginning in fall 2026, Emory University will be tuition-free for students whose families earn less than $200,000 a year.
Interim Emory University President Leah Ward Sears announced the change on Wednesday.
“Offering free tuition to every student whose family income is $200,000 or less is about leadership,” Sears said. “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.”
The university is calling the plan the Emory Advantage Plus program and said the option will be eligible for new and returning undergraduate students who meet the income requirements.
“When students sit at the kitchen table with their parents to discuss college, I don’t want finances to be a consideration,” Sears added. “If they qualify to come to Emory and they want to come to Emory, we will make sure they can afford Emory.”
The original Emory Advantage program started in 2007 to assist students from families with lower incomes. The university expanded the program in 2022 by replacing need-based loans with institutional grants and scholarships as part of undergraduate students’ financial aid packages.
Roughly 3,100 students currently receive Emory Advantage.
Emory University’s estimated cost of tuition for the 2025-26 school year is $33,540 per semester, or $67,080 annually.
The university says that over the next four years, its undergraduate financial aid commitment will exceed $1 billion.
Nick Wandrick, a junior at Emory, said he’s currently using a music scholarship and loans to pay for school. He said getting free tuition would be a big help.
“I could allocate some of the scholarship money that I have towards different things like my housing, or towards a meal plan, and obviously, it would mean less debt for me in the future,” Wandrick said.
“Emory Advantage Plus is more than just an expansion of a financial aid plan — it’s an expansion of opportunity, of dreams, and what’s possible at Emory,” Sears said. “The future has never looked brighter, and this is only just the beginning.”