Harvard Is Fourth Law School To Go Tuition-Free For Students In Need, Joining Yale, Stanford, And WashU

Harvard Law News, Harvard Law School Announces New Opportunity Fund — a Tuition-Free Initiative For Highest Need Students:

Harvard Law School today announced the launch of the Opportunity Fund, a new financial aid initiative that will enable some of our J.D. students with the highest financial need to attend tuition-free for all three years.

“Harvard Law School has long worked to make legal education more accessible and to enable our students to pursue the career paths that are most meaningful to them, whether that’s in the public or private sector,” said Harvard Law Dean John F. Manning ’85. “Opportunity Fund scholarships for our students with the highest levels of need will continue to advance that commitment. We are grateful to our generous alumni and friends whose support enables us to launch this important new program.”

The new program will expand the school’s robust financial aid program even further, enabling its highest need students to receive additional support and for some to attend tuition-free. Harvard Law’s Student Financial Services Office will determine program eligibility based on a comprehensive review of a student’s circumstances including factors such as the family’s income and their assets, and the student’s income and assets. Though this approach seeks to identify students from the least advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds by looking beyond merely family taxable income, it is expected that many who qualify will come from families who have income at or below two times the federal poverty line. The new financial aid initiative will begin with the current incoming J.D. class, the Class of 2027.

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• Yale Law School Goes Tuition-Free For Students In Need (Feb. 22, 2022)
• Stanford Law School Joins Yale In Going Tuition-Free For Students In Need (May 19, 2022)
• WashU Law School Joins Yale And Stanford In Going Tuition-Free For Students In Need (Nov. 18, 2022)

Press coverage of Harvard's announcement:

• Law.com, Some JDs Will Be Able to Attend Harvard Law Tuition-Free for the First Time Starting This Fall
• Reuters, Harvard Law To Offer Low-Income Scholarships, Joining Yale And Stanford