A small private liberal arts college in the Portland area has a new idea for getting students to enroll.

What if college was free?

This month, Reed College announced plans to expand its Reed Promise tuition program, which offers tuition-free education to undergraduate students whose families earn less than $100,000 a year.

Students enrolled through the college’s Reed Promise program receive a four-year, full-tuition scholarship.

Reed first announced the program late last year, limiting it to students from Oregon and Washington. Students in that first phase of the program will start this fall.

“It was important for us to let folks in Oregon and Washington know that we are a part of the community,” said Milyon Trulove, dean of admission and financial aid at Reed. “We wanted to invest in our own backyard.”

Trulove said the program is expanding beyond Oregon and Washington to any qualifying student in the United States.

Too often, he said, financial barriers keep students from achieving their full potential because they can’t afford the cost of higher education.

The total cost of attending Reed — including tuition, housing, books and other expenses — can reach $89,000 per year, according to the college.

But when students of different socioeconomic backgrounds come together, Trulove said, everyone benefits.

“They all find themselves in the classroom together,” he said. “They have different life experiences that enhance everyone.”

Trulove said the Reed Promise is about attracting a different kind of student. And students are looking for a different kind of college experience.

“I think people are looking for differentiation in their college choice,” he said. “I don’t think every college should do the same thing. College should identify what it values and how it can express those values through our education system.”

Trulove said the program will likely start small. So far, about 60 students have applied to receive a Reed Promise scholarship for the new school year this fall.

The Oregon program is currently accepting applications through May 1. The nationwide program will begin accepting applications in 2026.