GW will fully cover the cost of tuition for incoming students whose families make $100,000 or less a year starting next academic year as part of a broader financial aid expansion initiative aligned with the University’s strategic framework, officials announced Wednesday.
Officials unveiled Wednesday a new undergraduate affordability initiative, dubbed the “Revolutionary Promise,” outlining three new expansions of GW’s financial aid, including a full-tuition guarantee for incoming full-time domestic undergraduates from families with a documented household income of up to $100,000, starting with the class of 2030. Officials said the University will also cover at least half of the full cost of tuition for students from families with household incomes up to $150,000 and will expand eligibility for merit scholarships from five to six years to allow students more time to complete their degrees.
“This initiative better ensures that GW remains accessible to our nation’s most talented students, regardless of financial background,” Vice President and Dean for Enrollment and Student Success Jay Goff said in the release.
About 20 percent of GW’s residential undergraduates come from families earning under $100,000, according to the release. GW is not a need-blind institution, meaning officials consider a student’s financial need when deciding whether to admit them.
Current students are not eligible for the tuition coverage under the new initiative, and neither are graduate and international students, but current students are eligible for the expanded merit scholarship eligibility. Officials determine household income by calculating total adjusted gross income from the applicable tax year, all untaxed income and income from both parents, including noncustodial parents, according to the Revolutionary Promise website.
The new initiative is a step toward reaching the University’s strategic framework goal of meeting the full demonstrated need of GW’s domestic residential undergraduate students, according to the release. Officials launched their new strategic framework — University President Ellen Granberg’s vision for GW’s future, including commitments to affordability and accessibility — in October that they plan to implement in a phased approach over the next seven to 10 years.
Officials were able to launch the Revolutionary Promise because of philanthropic support, strategic institutional resources and proceeds from its $427 million sale of the Virginia Science and Technology Campus to Amazon Data Services last month, per the release.
Chief Financial Officer Bruno Fernandes said at the time of VSTC’s sale the $427 million deal will help fund GW’s new strategic framework and strengthen its fiscal health as the University navigates a period of financial instability. The University faces a $24 million budget deficit as of July.
Granberg told the Faculty Senate last month the sale of the Virginia campus allowed officials to get a quarter of the way toward reaching the goal of meeting the full demonstrated financial need of residential undergraduate students, though Vice President for University Advancement David Unruh is also working on a fundraising campaign to entice donors to match what’s currently in the endowment.
“We are immensely grateful to the donors who have helped to make this possible and who will continue to support these efforts,” Unruh said in the release.
Students eligible for the full-tuition coverage can also qualify for additional grants and scholarships if they demonstrate further financial need, according to the Revolutionary Promise frequently asked questions page.
The introduction of the Revolutionary Promise comes after officials announced late last month undergraduate tuition will rise by 3 percent next academic year to $72,000, bringing GW’s estimated total cost of attendance to $95,155 for new students and $98,165 for returning students for the 2026-27 academic year. More than 50 current undergraduate students told The Hatchet this week GW’s quality of education and resources weren’t worth the price tag, warning officials that their continued lack of investment will turn students away from attending the University.
Since 2019, officials have raised GW’s tuition every year after the Board of Trustees ended the University’s long-standing fixed tuition policy, which guaranteed students a consistent rate for 10 consecutive years.
New York and Tufts universities, both GW peer schools, have made similar promises in recent years. In 2023, NYU announced its NYU Promise initiative, where beginning in the 2024-25 academic year students with household income less than $100,000 a year would not have to pay tuition, and the University would meet 100 percent of all students’ demonstrated financial need. Beginning with the class of 2030, the Tufts Tuition Pact will similarly ensure all students’ demonstrated financial need is met, and students with household incomes less than $150,000 a year will receive grants to cover the cost of tuition.
