Miami University today announced a free-tuition program that will provide four years of tuition and fees for first-year students whose family income is less than $35,000.

The program, dubbed the Miami Access Initiative, starts next year and applies to academically-qualified Ohio students entering the Oxford campus or transferring to the Oxford campus from Miami Hamilton or Miami Middletown.

“It’s really about increasing the number of students who come to Miami from a low income background,” said new Miami University President Dr. David Hodge.

But there’s a little more to it, he said. It’s about spreading the word that students don’t have to be rich to go to a college like Miami. That’s the message Miami staff will take to college hopefuls next year.

“This creates a really clear message: Someone is covering your tuition and fees and you don’t have to worry about it,” Hodge said. “Miami is a great school and we want every student who has the ambition to be able to come here.”

Officials have no idea how many more students the tuition program will bring to the university. Of the roughly 16,000 students at the Oxford campus, 500 of them fall into the under-$35,000 income category. Between 120 and 130 of those are first-year students. The school enrolled 3,600 freshmen this year.

The average Ohio student pays $10,000 a year for a Miami education.

Low-income students are eligible or a plethora of financial aid packages, school officials said. But many don’t realize what’s available, or still can’t afford college even with that help. There’s no way to know how many students qualify academically for Miami, but don’t accept because they don’t have the money, officials said.

“As a public institution we have an obligation to all students,” said Miami spokesman Richard Little. “This is a step toward that.”

Miami got a $10 million windfall to start the program from a 1935 alumna. Lois Klawon earned an accounting degree from Miami, then moved to Westlake near Cleveland.

The Miami Access Initiative is available for any student, as long as their total household income listed on their tax return is less than $35,000. The student must be academically qualified to go to Miami and qualify for state and federal financial assistance. The student must be a new first-time freshman or a full-time relocation student from Miami Hamilton or Miami Middletown.