Elite Schools Expand ‘Free College’ for the Middle Class

Dozens of elite universities have expanded “free college” programs to compete for a dwindling pool of middle-class applicants as tuition hikes add to enrollment declines nationwide. The University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brandeis University, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Texas System last month became the latest campuses to waive tuition and fees for students accepted from families living on less than six figures a year. The announcements come as falling U.S. birth rates reduce the college-aged population and inflation prices more families out of four-year programs.