There have been private universities that have been free based on operating off of an endowment. The last one I recall was Cooper Union in NYC. But they had financial difficulties and started charging tuition. They had a 10 year plan hoping that their finances could support going back to zero tuition.
After adopting a bitterly contested plan a few years ago to charge students tuition for the first time in a century, the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art announced Thursday that it hoped to make the college tuition-free again for all undergraduates in 10 years.
Under a plan approved by the board of trustees late Wednesday, Cooper Union would begin increasing tuition scholarships in two years, and aim to provide full tuition in 10. The additional outlay would be offset by unspecified cuts in expenses, more fund-raising and “other revenue increases necessary,” the college said in a statement.
Strangely enough, Stanford University used to be tuition-free. That ended in 1920, so it was tuition free for about 28 years.
In 1920, to offset the pressures of a fixed endowment income and a rising cost of living, the university introduced a tuition fee for the first time in its history, in the amount of $40 per quarter. The legal document displayed here represents the first available student loan form – borrowing at 5% simple interest, and payable within seven years.
I've certainly been to a bunch of free places. I do remember visiting the Philadelphia area and we went to Longwood Gardens, which was opened by a member of the DuPont family. We had to pay admission, but it was previously free. The Getty in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades are both free. I visited The Getty once and they did charge for parking though.
