Study at Stanford for free if your family income is less than $ 125,000 per year

Last week Stanford University (USA) announced that now more enrolled students do not need to pay anything for tuition, which usually costsalmost $ 46,000 per year.

If the student's family has an income of less than $ 125,000 per year and has assets of $ 300,000 or less (including the value of real estate, but excluding retirement savings), then he or she does not need to pay tuition fees. Students whose families receive less than $ 65,000 a year also do not pay for room and board, which usually goes at $ 14,100. Scholarships and grants will cover the costs, for this purpose the university allocates $ 21 billion. Previously, the threshold was $ 100,000 to study for free, and $ 60,000 to get free room and board.

At the same time, students still need to deposit at least $ 5,000 - either by earning them on a part-time job during the academic year, or by working in the summer or from savings.

As Rector of the University John Etchemendi said in a press release: “Our main goal is to ensure that Stanford remains accessible to the majority of talented students, regardless of their financial situation. Our generous financial aid program does just that, and all of these measures will help more families (including those in the middle class) afford to study at Stanford without going into debt. ”According to the university, 77% of graduates have no monetary debt to it.

This favorably distinguishes graduatesof Stanford , since about 70% of all students in the country by the end of their studies owe an average of $ 29,000 for their studies.for educational loans - the number of loans issued has tripled. At the same time, about a third of those who pay on a loan are delayed payment for more than three months.

Which American universities canstudy for free?

But Stanford isn't the only place in America with free tuition. Princeton University offers to study for free if the family receives less than $ 120,000 per year. And if less than $ 60,000, then it provides room and meals for free .Harvard University and Yale University provide an opportunity to study for free if the family income is less than $ 65,000, while at Harvard, if the family income is less than $ 150,000, you need to pay only from 0 to 10% of the annualincome.

The idea of ​​free education is supported not only by private elite educational institutions, but also by other universities. Thus, Harper College in Palatine, Illinois (USA) recently announced that it will be free of charge for two years, free of charge, for high school graduates who show high academic results in their studies, attending classes and for four years participating inpublic life of the city.

Local governments also offer assistance. The state of Tennessee has already launched a program whereby all high school graduates in the state can study for free at a local college (for two years). Chicago, Illinois also has its own program: high school graduates with a GPA of 3.0 are paid tuition at a local college, books and fees. In January, US President Barack Obama proposed a plan that would cover the education of all high school graduates who enroll in full-time or part-time colleges for vocational education or a bachelor's degree and whose GPA during such training is 2.5.

However, all of these programs would be irrelevant if the government made the simple decision to make education at public universities free. The cost of tuition at public colleges in 2012 was $ 62.6 billion. The federal government only needs to take the $ 69 billion it currently spends on college grants, tax breaks, and Work funds.& Travel, and send them simply to pay for tuition at these educational institutions for anyone who wants to study there. This will provide all students (of any financial situation) with an affordable option, and will also force private institutions such as Stanford and Harvard to lower tuition fees (which have increased by 13%) to stay competitive.