Johns Hopkins University To Make Tuition Free For More Students

BALTIMORE, MD — Johns Hopkins University on Thursday said it plans to now offer free tuition to students for all undergraduate students from families earning up to $200,000 a year.

In an announcement posted on the university's website, Johns Hopkins officials said the program applies to undergraduates at the school's Homewood campus and will ensure that students representing more than 85% of American households will be able to attend Johns Hopkins without having to pay tuition.

Students from families earning up to $100,000 will receive additional aid to cover tuition, fees and living expenses, allowing them to attend Hopkins with a $0 parent contribution.

"Since its founding, Johns Hopkins University has been committed to the vision that a great university should be available to all students based on merit, not means," school officials said in a statement.

The new aid levels for undergraduates will go into effect for eligible current students in the spring 2026 semester and for new, incoming students next fall for the 2026-27 academic year.

For households earning more than $200,000, university officials said the school will continue to offer generous financial aid to meet 100 percent of need.

"Most families with incomes up to $250,000 will continue to qualify for significant financial aid," officials said. "Even those with annual incomes exceeding $250,000 may qualify, especially when there are multiple children in college at the same time."

Related: $1 Billion Gift Means Free Tuition For Most Johns Hopkins Med Students

For the current academic year, undergraduate tuition is $66,670. Additional needs such as textbooks and cost of living can bring the total attendance cost just under $92,000 annually.

In 2024, most medical students at Johns Hopkins University were able to attend at no cost thanks to a $1 billion gift announced by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The donation also increased financial aid for students at its schools of nursing, public health, and other graduate schools.

That donation covers full tuition for medical students from families earning less than $300,000. Living expenses and fees are covered for students from families who earn up to $175,000.

The university said it was able to expand its free tuition program thanks to a $1.8 billion gift made by alumnus Michael R. Bloomberg in 2018, which allowed the university to become permanently need blind and no-loan in financial aid.

Because of Bloomberg's gift, the university said it was able to significantly expand the enrollment of limited-income students while increasing the academic qualifications of its incoming classes.

From 2018 to 2025, the percentage of limited-income students in the entering first-year class, measured by the number of students eligible for federal Pell Grants, rose from 15.4 percent to 24.1 percent, the highest level in the university's history.