UNC-Chapel Hill to provide free tuition for NC families making less than $80,000 a year

The University of North Carolina is making college more affordable for low-income students from North Carolina. The university announced on Friday that it will provide free tuition and waive required fees for incoming undergraduates from the state whose families make less than $80,000 per year.

The announcement comes after the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action in college admissions.

UNC Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz said in a statement that the university's commitment to access and affordability "does not change with last week's ruling."

Students and professors alike are welcoming the news. Rising junior Hannah Mason said she believes it will allow a lot more people to come here who deserve to who might not have been able to because of financial reasons previously.

Professor of law at North Carolina Central University Irving Joyner said while he applauds the effort to address financial inequity, it doesn't entirely impact diversity.

"There's this notion that if you're low income, you're a racial minority, which is not the case because statistically there are more whites who are low income than there are African Americans and Latinos," Joyner said.

However, UNC also announced it's hiring more outreach officers to recruit students in under-resourced communities. Joyner says this may have a greater impact on the racial makeup of upcoming classes.

"That's going to be more important than the financial assistance, and again I'm not demeaning,"Joyner said. "I'm just saying that's not a cure-all for this particular situation."

The initiative will start with the incoming class in 2024.

"Beginning with the incoming class in 2024, we will expand the University’s long-standing commitment to access and affordability for North Carolina families," the chancellor's message read. "This promise broadens that tradition established by successful and inspiring programs such as the Carolina Covenant and Blue Sky Scholars, among others. We want to make sure students know financial constraints should not stand in the way of their dreams. We will be sharing details about this exciting new opportunity within the next few weeks."

In June, Duke University announced it will provide full tuition grants for undergraduate students from North Carolina and South Carolina whose family incomes total $150,000 or less.

"The anxieties that financial issues cause everyone, it’s something everyone can relate to on some level," Mason said.