Spartan Tuition Advantage to begin giving Michigan students free tuition at Michigan State University

Pell Grant recipients in Michigan will soon have their entire tuition covered at Michigan State University. This development comes after the school had already been offering scholarships to students with a $0 family contribution of the FAFSA since 2006. The Spartan Tuition Advantage is designed to give completely free tuition to any Michigan resident student whose family earns less than $65,000 per year.

Interim President of Michigan State University Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. announced the program in an article of the university’s website, sharing, “MSU historically has provided great financial aid packages to in-state students for over 50 years as a means to reduce the financial barriers that can stand between students and their future success through a world-class higher education degree. The Spartan Tuition Advantage program is an exciting extension of our pledge to the success of future Spartans learners.” 

Eligible students need only to complete a FAFSA to take advantage of the new tuition-free program, and those eligible students are guaranteed to receive the $0 tuition for the year. Michigan State University expects that this program will fully cover the tuition of 6,000 students.

Demonstrating its continued commitment to providing affordable education to students and to helping the local workforce, Michigan State University currently spends $224 million a year providing financial aid to its students. The new Spartan Tuition Advantage program will significantly increase that figure.

Michigan State University's Executive Director of Admissions, John Ambrose, spoke to this continued investment, saying, “The Spartan Tuition Advantage program is an underpinning of our commitment to being Michigan’s state university and helping every Michigan high school graduate see a higher-education degree at Michigan State University as an attainable goal. Our commitment to Michigan students is that when you choose to be a Spartan, we will equip you with the tools and resources needed to be successful. And this new financial aid package is yet another tool.” 

In addition to this new program, Michigan State University is also committed to making applying to college more affordable to students. Until October 21, prospective students will have a $0 application fee, as long as they are Michigan residents. 

For more information about the Spartan Tuition Advantage program, visit the program’s webpage. For more general information about Michigan State University, visit the school’s website.