The new president of the University of Virginia has promised free tuition for students in families earning less than $80,000 a year.
President James Ryan made the pledge Friday during his inauguration.
He said he envisions a community that ``opens wide the door to opportunity'' for first-generation, low- and middle-income students.
Ryan also pledged that students from Virginia families earning less than $30,000 will get both free tuition and free room and board.
Ryan did not give a precise timetable, saying ``there is more work to be done ... but we might as well get started.''
Ryan graduated from UVA's law school in 1992 and spent 15 years as a UVA law professor before joining Harvard in 2013.
Current tuition for in-state students at UVA is about $13,700 a year.
