Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, Rutgers University will implement a financial aid program that can initiate a nationwide movement that will lower the skyrocketing costs of college tuition.

Known as Scarlet Guarantee, the program will allow families making $80,001 to $100,000 a year to pay no more than $5,000 per year in both tuition and mandatory fees. In addition, families generating a yearly income of $65,001 to $80,000 are required to pay $3,000 per year, at most, toward those same fees. The last tier of this program is that families making less than $65,000 will pay $0 for tuition and mandatory fees. The program, however, is only eligible for Rutgers’ first- and second-year students. 

If students decide to live on campus, Rutgers’ Scarlet Guarantee does not exempt these students from having to pay for room and board, meal plans, textbooks, and transportation. This required payment, however, is not a deterrent, as according to Rutgers’ officials, 7,600 students, which is nearly 20% of enrolled undergraduates, are expected to enroll in this program. 

The cost of college tuition has always been a serious issue in America, with more than 56% of college students claiming that they can no longer afford the price of their tuition. Now, considering the effect that COVID-19 has had on already low-income families, attending college is nowhere near a foregone conclusion for many. 

According to studies conducted in 2021, the likelihood of high school students attending college dwindled to nearly 53%, dropping just about 20% from its earlier prediction of 71%. A substantial amount of this drop is speculated to be attributed to the erratic increase in the cost of college, jumping 169% from 1980 to 2019.

After being asked about her opinions pertaining to Rutgers’ decision to provide free tuition, sophomore Angelica Castillo said, “It’s great that Rutgers is doing this because not a lot of people can actually afford college tuition. I’m glad that people who have wanted to go to Rutgers are not being restricted because of financial issues.” 

Although the Scarlet Guarantee is, as of right now, only available to those attending Rutgers University, the program is part of a nationwide movement that, if implemented in colleges around the country, has the potential to lower the swelling cost of higher education. 

Whether or not one will be able to receive higher education should not be a question that individuals nowadays have to ask themselves. If college is speculated to be a means of experiencing social mobility, everyone should be provided with the opportunity to attend, regardless of his or her financial situation, and Rutgers’ Scarlet Guarantee is the first step toward attaining inclusivity.