Author:
An Observer
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Date Posted: 14:00:07 01/27/26 Tue
Well, surprise surprise. It was Yale who fired the first shot.
Next year, Yale will be tuition-free for students from families making $200,000 or less. The previous threshold was $150,000.
First of all, it is now a near-100% probability that Harvard and Princeton will follow. That's how decision-making is done in Cambridge, New Haven and central New Jersey.
Secondly, I'm not sure that we're not well past the point of diminishing returns. That is, were there any families making between $150-200,000 who previously were thinking, "We love the idea of a Yale education. But it costs too much. We're going to send Junior to UConn or Quinnipiac. Wait a minute, those schools already cost more than Yale after financial aid!"
I've already said this earlier in this thread: Something bad is happening across all eight Ivy League universities. Alumni donation rates are plummeting, even at Princeton and Dartmouth, which is saying something.
Making Ivy costs cheaper and cheaper might very well be harming the culture on our campuses.
Why just keep making it cheaper to attend Yale? Why not say, "You sign a promissory note for $15,000 per academic year, due ten years after graduation. That's a total of $60,000 due in 2040. When 2040 rolls around, if you went into a high-income profession like finance or consulting or technology, how about you pay that $60,000 back interest-free? If you went to Teach For America or worked for the Peace Corps, we'll tear up the promissory note."
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