Students with less than $45,000 of family support under their belts will no longer have to pay tuition at Stanford University. The requirements for families with middle-class incomes will be cut in half. The change applies to all students and will go into effect in the new academic year. It will cost $3m in its first year.

“When Jane and Leland Stanford created the university, they wanted students admitted based on their abilities, promise and willingness to work hard and not on whether or not they could pay the cost of tuition,” Shaw said. “With this new program, we are telling talented students from families with low to moderate incomes that they should apply with confidence. If they are admitted, we’ll cover their costs.”

This is the way university should be. Cornell, are you listening? With your motto — “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study” — you should have been the first to provide free tuition to those who cannot afford to pay it. Don’t let Princeton beat us to completely eliminating tuition altogether.