Observed arrival · 2026-08-28
Promise Atlas Maps the Income Thresholds Behind Free College
An interactive directory shows which U.S. colleges offer free or reduced tuition below specific household-income thresholds.
Field notes
The atlas combines a household-income input with school-level published thresholds, then highlights potentially qualifying states and institutions. Its directory distinguishes tuition-only promises from broader packages covering tuition, housing, and meals, and separately marks schools that meet full need without a fixed dollar ceiling. The current collection contains 206 institutions, compared with 3,709 four-year U.S. institutions in the cited IPEDS and College Scorecard universe.
Observed signals
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