Harvard University and MIT announced the joint launch of a fully accredited, tuition-free undergraduate degree programme accessible to any student worldwide who passes its admissions process — combining AI-powered personalised tutoring with peer learning cohorts to deliver what the institutions describe as "a Harvard and MIT education at zero marginal cost."
The programme will initially offer degrees in Computer Science, Data Science and Applied Mathematics. Students receive access to an AI tutor built on a custom version of Claude, developed in partnership with Anthropic, that delivers personalised instruction and adapts in real time.
Admissions
The programme will accept 10,000 students in its inaugural cohort, selected through a process that deliberately avoids reliance on prior educational credentials to avoid replicating existing privilege.
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Fantastic reporting. I've subscribed to the newsletter specifically because of articles like this. Keep up the excellent work.
I was directly affected by this and the article captures the situation accurately. Reading this brought back a lot of difficult memories but I'm glad the story is being told.
First time commenting here. Found this via social media. Incredible journalism — going to read more from this author.
I've been following this story across multiple outlets and this is by far the most balanced and thoroughly sourced account. Well done to the editorial team.
Interesting piece but I feel the article undersells the counterarguments from the opposing side. Paragraph 4 gives them one sentence when they arguably deserve more space.
Good journalism. Rare these days. Thank you.