The University of Vermont announced the expansion of the UVM Promise program at the UVM Board of Trustees annual Fall meeting Friday at the Dudley H. Davis Center. Under the new guidelines, students from Vermont households with a combined annual income up to $100,000 in adjusted gross income (AGI) will attend the state’s flagship public university tuition-free beginning in Fall 2025.

“Affordability remains a top priority here at UVM,” Interim President Patricia Prelock said. “The opportunity to achieve a world-class education cannot be fully realized unless access is extended to the students who need it most – especially here in our state. I’m so proud that we can expand the UVM Promise and help open UVM’s doors wider than ever to Vermont students.”

“The 33-percent increase in household income threshold for UVM Promise eligibility reflects UVM’s continued commitment to accessibility for Vermonters,” said Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Jay Jacobs.

“We celebrated another increase in in-state enrollment this fall, and our continued focus on affordability is key to key to serving Vermonters and living our land-grant mission,” Jacobs said. “With so many other facets of living becoming more expensive seemingly by the day, it is more important than ever for us to help provide to Vermonters some relief from the costs of higher education.”

Students who qualify for the UVM Promise each year will have their tuition and comprehensive fees fully covered by a combination of grants and scholarships. More information about the UVM Promise program can be found here.

The UVM Promise program was first introduced in 2022. Beginning with the entering first-year class in Fall 2023, Vermonters from households making up to $60,000 were guaranteed to pay no tuition or comprehensive fees. That income threshold was increased by 25 percent for Fall 2024, allowing more than half of in-state students to attend UVM without paying tuition.

The creation and continued expansion of the UVM Promise program is one of several measures taken by the university to address affordability. The university held tuition flat for Vermonters for six years and has introduced an increase of 2 percent for the 2025-26 academic year. UVM’s Green & Gold Scholarship is an academic merit scholarship program which considers the nomination of the most academically talented rising high school senior from every eligible Vermont secondary school, and Vermont residents attending select border schools.

In the past year, UVM awarded $50 million in grants and scholarships to first-time, first-year undergraduates and transfer students, including fall and spring admits, not including athletic grants or tuition remission.