Harvard Boosts Financial Support for Students

Harvard University President Alan M. Garber and Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Hopi Hoekstra have announced a major expansion of financial aid for Harvard College.

Key Highlights of the Initiative

• Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, students from families earning $100,000 or less annually will attend for free.
• Families with incomes up to $200,000 will have tuition fully covered.
• This expansion allows 86 percent of American families to qualify for financial assistance.

“By making Harvard financially attainable for more people, we enrich the diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences that shape our students’ education and personal development,” said Garber.

“For years, Harvard has worked to welcome the brightest minds, regardless of their economic situation,” said Hoekstra. “This enhanced financial aid package is an investment in removing barriers, enabling every admitted student to pursue their passions and contribute to a brighter future.”

Full Coverage for Low-Income Students

Students from families earning $100,000 or less will have all costs covered, including tuition, meals, housing, health insurance, and travel. In addition, they will receive:

• $2,000 start-up grant in their freshman year
• $2,000 launch grant in their junior year

Tuition-Free for Families Earning Up to $200,000

• Tuition will be free for students from families earning up to $200,000.
• Additional financial support will be provided based on individual needs.
• Even families earning more than $200,000 may qualify for tailored aid.

“The most gifted students hail from all walks of life—every state, every corner of the world,” said William R. Fitzsimmons, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard College. “Our aid program ensures these students see Harvard as a place where they belong and can enrich our dynamic community.”

Building on 20 Years of Financial Aid Expansion

• Since 2004, Harvard’s financial aid has covered full costs for students from families earning $40,000 or less, with the threshold rising to $85,000 in 2023.
• In 2007, Harvard replaced loans with grants and stopped factoring home equity into payment calculations.
• Over the past 20 years, Harvard has distributed more than $3.6 billion in undergraduate aid.

A $275 Million Financial Aid Budget for 2025-26

• 55 percent of Harvard undergraduates currently receive financial support.
• In 2023-24, families contributed an average of $15,700 towards their child’s education.

“Our staff partners with each student to ensure they can fully participate in all that Harvard offers,” said Jake Kaufmann, Griffin Director of Financial Aid. “This program is crafted to let students focus on learning, exploring, and growing without financial burdens holding them back.”

With this expansion, Harvard continues its mission to make world-class education accessible to students from all economic backgrounds.

Australia’s opposition has outlined a sweeping reform agenda for the nation’s universities, pledging to overhaul student fees, reinstate stricter academic performance requirements, and reclaim ministerial oversight of research funding if it secures victory in the upcoming federal election.

The Liberal-National coalition has also signalled its intention to block the establishment of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (Atec), a proposed regulatory body for the sector. Addressing the Universities Australia Solutions Summit, shadow education minister Sarah Henderson dismissed the initiative as unnecessary bureaucracy.

“We see no compelling case to proceed with Atec,” Henderson stated. “It adds another layer of administration at significant cost without delivering meaningful progress for our universities.”

Fee Reforms and Academic Performance Standards

While reaffirming the coalition’s support for the controversial Job-ready Graduates (JRG) reforms introduced in 2021, Henderson pledged a review of the fee and funding structure should her party return to power. She criticized the government for failing to complete the scheduled 2022 review, despite having launched multiple other inquiries into the education sector.

A key policy shift would see the reinstatement of the “50 per cent pass rule,” a measure that previously barred students from receiving government subsidies if they failed more than half of their attempted subjects after enrolling in at least eight. Originally part of the JRG package, the rule was scrapped following recommendations from the Universities Accord panel.

“We don’t believe there are sufficient safeguards to prevent students from accumulating significant debt without earning a qualification,” Henderson said.

Additionally, the coalition plans to introduce an “Australian universities performance index” to provide transparent data on student satisfaction, course quality, and graduate outcomes.

Reclaiming Ministerial Control Over Research Funding

In a firm stance on research governance, Henderson pledged to reverse changes to the Australian Research Council (ARC) that stripped the education minister of approval powers for most research grants.

“Under our Westminster system, the responsibility for research funding decisions should rest with the government, not an unelected board,” she said. “We will ensure the ARC enforces strict research integrity and grant conditions.”

Crackdown on Vice-Chancellor Salaries and Campus Antisemitism

Henderson called for greater accountability in university leadership, advocating for vice-chancellors’ salaries at public institutions to be set by the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal rather than university boards.

“In a cost-of-living crisis, current salary arrangements fail the public trust,” she argued.

The coalition also vowed to take a hardline approach to antisemitism on campuses. Universities would be required to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, replacing the version introduced on February 24. A new national code on antisemitism would be enforced, and institutions would be compelled to cooperate with an Australian Federal Police-led task force.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe on campus,” Henderson asserted. “Academic freedom must not serve as a shield for antisemitism.”

Tighter Controls on International Student Numbers

Henderson reiterated the opposition’s commitment to capping international student enrolments more strictly, promising further details in the coming weeks.

As Australia heads toward a federal election expected by mid-May, the coalition’s aggressive stance on higher education signals a potential shake-up for universities should it claim victory.

 

The Australian government has announced Student Visa caps commencing 2025. The Australian government in a release yesterday stated “Subject to the passage of legislation before the Parliament, [the government] will set a National Planning Level (NPL) for new international student commencements of 270,000 for calendar year 2025.”

The new cap has been referred to as the National Planning Level and will affect all higher education and VET providers. Higher degree by research programs, standalone language training centers and schools will, however, be exempt from the cap.

The cap will be distributed across the higher education and VET sector with the aim to limit entry into Australia to pre-pandemic levels an d manage growth in the future better.

How the cap will be distributed:

145,000 international commencements will be distributed among all public universities in 2025. This, the Australian government says, is roughly equivalent to the international student entries in 2023. Each institution will receive an individual cap in an International Student Profile (ISP). Universities with higher levels of international students will receive a lower cap and universities with lower international student concentrations will receive a higher cap.

30,000 international commencements other universities and non-university providers. This includes university colleges, standalone colleges and pathway programs. The rest of the seats, 95,000 in total, will go to the VET sector.

Risk Levels Replaced by NPL

The National Planning Level will replace Ministerial Directive 107. Ministerial directive classified Australian Universities into 3 risk levels with preferential treatment reserved for ‘low-risk’ universities. Minister of Education Jason Clare stated that this would be beneficial for many universities because universities at level 2 and level 3 in the risk assessment levels experienced longer visa wait times which will not be the case in 2025.

Higher Education Institutions React with Outrage

Universities across Australia are united in their condemnation of the cap. Universities Australia Chair Professor David Lloyd says “Even without legislated powers to limit international student numbers, the Government has already taken a sledgehammer to the international education sector.” This is understandable in light of the fact that the money paid by international students goes a long way in sustaining the Australian higher education sector.

Group of Eight (Go8) Chief Executive Vicki Thomson stated “Today the Federal Government announced that it intends recklessly to proceed with international student caps – introducing cuts to Go8 members who do the heavy lifting in research, education as well as underpinning Australia’s global reputation as a high-quality international education provider”.

The government has an ambitious target of doubling New Zealand’s total export earnings in the next ten years and education is slated to play an important part in this endeavor. The estimated economic contribution of the New Zealand education sector was NZ$ 2.2 Billion in 2023 and the government wants to increase it by 100% by 2027 to NZ$ 4.4 Billion by 2027.

Education New Zealand Chief Executive Dr. Linda Sissons talked about the strategy to do so and highlighted the role of key markets like India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Japan in achieving this target. “We need to start now to grow awareness of New Zealand in these markets if we are to achieve our growth targets,” said Dr Sissons. “Moving forward, we will continue to seek growth through diversifying markets while maintaining our strength in traditional markets such as China and India.”

All this occurred at the New Zealand International Education Conference (NZIEC) in Wellington this week, as officials began to lay out a plan for a new strategy to enhance New Zealand’s profile in the international education ecosystem. ENZ Director, Marketing and Brand Adrian Hirst said “In a sea of [several international destinations], it’s increasingly difficult to stand out for students and for student families, How do we differentiate ourselves? If we don’t differentiate ourselves, we run the risk of being totally ignored. We need something to hang our hat on. We need something that resonates with the core needs and motivations of our audience, and we need to look at differentiating in a way that adds quality and value to our industry.”

This announcement is sure to generate a positive buzz in the international education sector because, though small, higher education in New Zealand is world class and they are global leaders in education for renewable energy, agriculture and aerospace.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany has announced an increase in proof of funds for international students for the 2024/2025 Academic year. For the last academic year (2023/2024) the requirement had been € 11,208 and for the new academic year 2024/2025 the requirement will be € 11,904. This represents an increase of 6% over last year’s requirement.

This follows announcements by Canada and Australia that the proof of funds required was doubled and increased by 20% respectively by the two countries. In contrast, the increase announced by Germany is marginal and will not generate the backlash that Australia and Canada are already experiencing. Enrollment in German institutions is increasing and the announced increase should have little effect on enrollment numbers.

Recently appointed Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson, has said that international students are always welcome to the UK and has affirmed that the graduate route shall continue. Appointed by the newly-elected UK government under Keith Starmer, Secretary Phillipson said “Be in no doubt: international students are welcome in the UK. This new government values their contribution – to our universities, to our communities, to our country.”

She also added: “Under this new government, opportunity is for everyone. And our international partnerships are central to this drive to spread opportunity far and wide. The more we work together, the more progress we will see in the world – partners in the push for better.”

There was another positive takeaway for international students with regard to the graduate route. Secretary Phillipson reaffirmed that the graduate route is here to stay- for now. “These people are brave. They move to a new culture, far away from their homes and their families.  They take a leap of faith, hoping to develop new skills and chase new horizons. And I am enormously proud that so many want to take that leap here in the UK. And we will do everything we can to help them succeed. That’s why we offer the opportunity to remain in the UK on a graduate visa for two years after their studies end – or three for PhDs – to work, to live, and to contribute”.

These pronouncements were made at the Education Embassy Conference in London on Tuesday 23 July and have sent a positive message to both prospective international students and the international community at large.  The UK has always been a popular study destination for international students and, in light of the announcements by the newly-elected Secretary, shall remain so at least for the time being.