[Farm93]

Stanford will expect no parental contribution toward tuition from parents with annual incomes below $125,000 – previously $100,000 – and typical assets. And there will be zero parental contribution toward tuition, room or board for parents with annual incomes below $65,000 – previously $60,000 – and typical assets.

The USA median household income is now around $52,000.  So $65k includes a large number of middle income families. Many in USA define middle class as the group between 75% and 200% of the median household income.  And that would imply that the entire USA middle class would fall into that $125K tuition free zone.  That's nice. 

No need to comment on Bay Area middle class realities. A household earning $40,000 in the SF Bay Area is unlikely to consider themselves middle class, and certainly will not have a traditional middle class standard of living.

[Farm93]

Stanford will expect no parental contribution toward tuition from parents with annual incomes below $125,000 – previously $100,000 – and typical assets. And there will be zero parental contribution toward tuition, room or board for parents with annual incomes below $65,000 – previously $60,000 – and typical assets.

The USA median household income is now around $52,000.  So $65k includes a large number of middle income families. Many in USA define middle class as the group between 75% and 200% of the median household income.  And that would imply that the entire USA middle class would fall into that $125K tuition free zone.  That's nice. 

No need to comment on Bay Area middle class realities. A household earning $40,000 in the SF Bay Area is unlikely to consider themselves middle class, and certainly will not have a traditional middle class standard of living.