Dickinson College announced it will make tuition free for incoming students from households earning under $125,000—a major affordability step intended to broaden access among middle‑income families. The change will take effect for the upcoming freshman class and is designed to reduce financial barriers to liberal‑arts enrollment. The move arrives amid contested narratives about college value: analysts at Brookings and other researchers argue that widely circulated claims about collapsing returns to college are overstated and that, on average, bachelor's degrees still yield higher lifetime earnings relative to a high‑school diploma. Critics of the affordability debate say policy focus should target targeted financial support rather than blanket tuition cuts. Dickinson’s action will test whether targeted tuition reforms can boost socioeconomic diversity while preserving institutional finances, and it will intensify policy conversations about how colleges measure return on investment and craft sustainable affordability models.