Cleveland State to offer free tuition to most Ohio students

Cleveland State University has announced that starting in fall 2027, it will offer free tuition to all first-year Ohio students whose families make less than $125,000 a year. In a news release, the university said that its board of trustees has voted on Friday morning to implement what it calls the Cleveland State Commitment promising $0 tuition to eligible students. In the fall 2027 semester, all incoming first-year students who graduated in the spring of 2027 with a 3.0 GPA or higher and whose family makes an adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less will be eligible for up to eight consecutive semesters with no tuition. CSU said that about 73 percent of Ohio families meet that income requirement. To be eligible students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, and Cleveland State will pay their remaining tuition beyond any state or federal grants and scholarships. "For too long now, the dream of a college education has not been possible for many Ohio families simply due to the cost. That ends with the Cleveland State Commitment," said CSU President Laura Bloomberg in the release. "We firmly believe that access and excellence are fundamentally linked. The Cleveland State Commitment rewards hard work by opening doors and providing a financial boost for those who need it most." The university said that the program was designed to reach "families in the middle," who make between $75,000 and $125,000 a year. Cleveland State said in the release that these families often receive little federal or state aid, but still have difficulty paying college tuition. "Cleveland State University is providing the certainty Ohio students and families want from higher education," Mike Duffey, chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, said in the release. "If you make the grade and have demonstrated need, Cleveland State will pick up the full cost of tuition for four years. This is a great initiative and I strongly support it." Several Ohio universities offer free tuition scholarships, but CSU's fall 2027 program will be unique in its relatively high maximum income eligibility, the fact that it applies to all students from Ohio and the lack of a regional campus requirement. The University of Akron's Making Akron Possible Grant has a maximum income eligibility of $85,000 per year. The Ohio State University offers several programs with a maximum income eligibility of $100,000, but these programs require students to attend an OSU regional campus, the Agricultural Technical Institute or Columbus State Community College, prior to attending OSU's main campus. Case Western Reserve University's Cleveland Scholars program provides free, four-year tuition with no income requirement, but it applies only to students who graduated from Cleveland Metropolitan or East Cleveland schools. Ohio University offers free tuition to students from Athens County and surrounding counties, or who attend regional OU campuses prior to attending the main campus in Athens. "The Cleveland State Commitment rewards student effort, gives hardworking Ohio families greater certainty and invests in the talent Cleveland and the state of Ohio need most," said Chad Warren, Vice President of Advancement and Executive Director of the CSU Foundation. "It is an opportunity commitment, not just a tuition discount, made possible by Cleveland State scholarships and generous donors, foundations and community partners." Contact Owen MacMillan at 440-329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.