Dan Raby, the senior digital producer for CBS News Atlanta, has been covering everything happening around Georgia for more than a decade.

Students attending Emory University whose families earn $200,000 or less could soon study at the college for free.

This week, Emory University interim President Leah Ward Sears announced the Emory Advantage Plus scholarship, which will be available to all new and returning domestic undergraduate students next fall.

"Offering free tuition to every student whose family income is $200,000 or less is about leadership," Sears said. "We want great students to come here without regard to the cost. And we will do everything in our power to give them a great education without the burden of crushing debt."

The university started the Emory Advantage program in 2007 in an effort to support students from families with lower incomes. The program was expanded in 2022 when the school replaced need-based loans with institutional grants and scholarships as part of its undergraduates' financial aid packages.

About 3,100 students, or around 40% of the university's undergraduates, received Emory Advantage this year.

"Emory Advantage Plus is more than just an expansion of a financial aid plan -- it's an expansion of opportunity, of dreams, and what's possible at Emory," Sears says. "Together we are opening doors wider than ever before so that brilliant, deserving students can call Emory and Georgia their home. The future has never looked brighter, and this is only just the beginning."

University officials say they will fund Emory Advantage Plus through its endowment and donations from alumni and other sponsors.

The scholarship changes come as the university increased tuition by 5.8%, from $63,000 to $67,080 for the 2025-2026 academic year. The combined tuition, fees, room, and board for the year is $88,536.

Students who are eligible for the scholarship can apply by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the College Scholarship Service Profile.

More details about the program will be released later this year.

Emory to become tuition-free for students whose families earn under $200K