Campbell’s Harnett County Tuition Free Guarantee will return for the Fall 2027 semester, the University announced this week. The program, which debuted this year, covers 100 percent of undergraduate tuition for first-year, full-time students who reside in Harnett County.
Thanks to the program, Campbell saw a 282-percent increase in new students from Harnett County (from 46 to 176) this fall. That number played a big part in Campbell’s overall 30-percent increase in incoming main campus undergraduates, its largest incoming class in the last eight years.
“We are proud to make the Harnett County Tuition-Free Guarantee a lasting commitment to our local community,” said Dean Clark, vice president for enrollment management. “This initiative reflects Campbell’s dedication to making a Campbell education accessible to students right here at home, and we are excited to continue providing this opportunity for years to come.”
The Harnett County Tuition Free Guarantee is a product of the five-year Strategic Plan launched earlier this year by President William M. Downs. The first objective of the plan is enrollment growth, and Downs said Campbell needed to rededicate itself to the county “that has nurtured our school for the last 139 years.”
The free tuition is provided entirely through scholarships and grants (including any institutional, federal and state grants or scholarships). Student and parent loans are not packaged or included as part of the guarantee. To qualify for the guarantee, students must:
- Be admitted as a first-time, full-time undergraduate,
- Be a resident of Harnett County,
- Live on campus,
- Enroll full-time in a traditional undergraduate program, and
- File for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) using Campbell’s FAFSA code 002913.
Current Campbell students, online students and graduate students are not eligible for the guarantee. The program also does not cover housing and meals, books and course material, personal expenses, summer courses, general fees and specialized program or technology fees.
Harnett County is home to six public high schools — Harnett Central, Harnett County Early College, Overhills, STAR Academy, Triton and Western Harnett high schools — and several smaller private high schools. The county’s population has grown by more than 20 percent since 2010, and in 2022 the county was home to nearly 30,000 school-aged children and teens.
“Harnett is home. With this initiative, we signal to the neighbors in our own backyard that Campbell can and should be their home, their destination of first choice when deciding on where to get a world-class college education,” Downs said. “We know that access and affordability are key concerns for college-seekers, and Campbell will be rolling out a variety of new incentives for multiple constituencies, all while maintaining the exceptionally high value associated with the quality of a Campbell education.”
Harnett County Schools Superintendent W. Brooks Matthews called Campbell’s Tuition-Free Guarantee a “transformational opportunity” for students and families of the area.
“As a proud Campbell University graduate myself, I know firsthand the profound impact this institution has on our community and the doors it can open for young people,” Matthews said. “This bold investment ensures that students who may have once believed college was out of reach will now have access to a world-class education without the burden of tuition.”
To learn more, visit campbell.edu/admissions/undergraduate/high-school-student/harnett-county-tuition-free-guarantee/ or email admissions@campbell.edu.