These Colleges Offer Free Tuition to Students

Evan Castillo
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Updated on December 10, 2024
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Looking for a free college education? Check out BestColleges’ list of colleges and universities offering free undergraduate and graduate degrees for qualifying students.
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  • The free college movement has stalled in Congress, but there are an increasing number of states and schools offering tuition-free degrees to qualifying students.
  • Princeton University offers free education for students from families making under $100,000 a year.
  • Some colleges offer scholarships for eligible Native American students regardless of financial need.
  • The University of Rochester School of Nursing, the University of Olivet, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine offer free tuition for all students.

Higher education is getting more and more expensive, but students looking for free college have an increasing number of options as more colleges, universities, nursing, and medical schools step up to take finances out of the question for college attendance.

BestColleges found tuition-free bachelor’s degrees available at institutions in over 30 states, as some colleges and universities – even Ivy League schools – are offering free tuition to qualifying students.

Most of the colleges listed are bridging the financial gap by removing tuition and fee costs for students from lower-income families, Native American students, or students pursuing degrees in fields with a labor shortage.

The state of New Mexico recently created the largest higher education trust fund in the country to cement its commitment to free college tuition for all residents. New Mexico hosts the Opportunity Scholarship and the Lottery Scholarship, open to all New Mexico residents and new high school graduates.

Ivy League schools such as Princeton University, Harvard University and Yale University take things one step further by offering a completely free college education for students from families that make less than $100,000.

Students looking to pursue health professions also have options for tuition-free and completely free medical school and tuition-free nursing school.

The University of Olivet is one of a few nursing schools offering free tuition for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The university announced a free tuition scholarship for qualifying Registered Nurses (RNs) who would like to take online five 8-week terms to earn their BSN.

The university is addressing the national nursing shortage and adjusting to more employers requiring or strongly preferring nurses with bachelor’s degrees.

The Albert Einstein College of Medicine announced it will give all students free tuition starting August 2024 and all current fourth-year students tuition reimbursement for the spring 2024 semester thanks to a $1 billion donation.

In most cases, students need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify for free tuition and fees and, in some cases, the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile.

Students who may be undocumented, qualify under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), or qualify under the DREAM Act may not be eligible for the FAFSA. Instead, some states offer state financial aid applications to help these students with college financial aid.

Here are some of the schools working to make college free for qualified students.

Colleges and Universities Offering Tuition-Free Degrees

Last Updated: Dec. 10, 2024 at 11:20 A.M. EST

Colleges and Universities Offering Free Tuition or Free Education

Universities Offering Free Tuition for Native American Students

Colleges and Universities Offering Free Tuition for Undocumented Students

Nursing Schools Offering Free Tuition

Medical Schools Offering Free Tuition or Education

Colleges and Universities Offering Free Tuition for Senior Citizen Learners

BestColleges found 20 schools that offer free tuition or the ability to audit classes for no credit for senior citizens. Some schools like Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offer free-tuition classes to senior citizens depending on class space availability.