Harvard raised tuition to $75,538 and continues charging students to wash their clothes, not out of necessity, but out of a refusal to stop extracting. The laundry system was revamped this fall, introducing a third-party app that forces students to preload $10 just to avoid extra fees, turning a basic chore into a financial hurdle. Even hygiene now requires compliance with vendors and digital wallets. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/9/4/laundry-price-increases/
The price for a wash and dry cycle increased to $1.75, and the app penalizes low top-ups with processing fees. Crimson Cash, which handled small transactions efficiently, was phased out without consulting students. The new system was not designed for convenience; it was designed to monetize necessity.
Students were not given a choice. They were handed a system that increases cost, removes flexibility, and forces them to manage laundry like a subscription service. Joelle D. Yoon ’28 said, “And then I realized it was $1.75 and I was like, ‘Oh, they snuck that one in.’” https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/9/4/laundry-price-increases/
The hike was not announced transparently. It was buried under a rollout framed as a feature. Students ration laundry loads not because of carelessness, but because the system is structured to make them feel wasteful.
Sairam Pantham ’28 added, “You have to top up like $10 at a time.” https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/9/4/laundry-price-increases/
The app blocks partial top-ups, offers no explanation for scrapping the old system, and provides no alternatives. Harvard replaced inefficiency with control.
Meanwhile, laptops are banned in many classrooms across departments. Faculty justify it as improving engagement, but the ban disproportionately harms students who rely on assistive technology. Students with disabilities must register with the Accessible Education Office and notify professors just to use a basic learning tool. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/10/2/laptop-ban-classrooms/
The policy limits autonomy, punishes accessibility, and reinforces a culture of obedience enforced through rules rather than earned through trust.
The College claimed laundry pricing was “negotiated… in line with current market.” https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/9/4/laundry-price-increases/
That is not justification. It is abdication. Harvard shapes markets; when it chooses to follow them, it signals compliance in a system that treats students as revenue streams.
Emily C. Igwike ’28 said, “Hopefully they can make changes to that, but if not, then I have to just budget a little bit more.” https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/9/4/laundry-price-increases/
Her words are not optimism. They reflect resignation. Students carry the burden while administration celebrates app features like cycle timers and QR codes.
Harvard’s policies are not oversight. They are erosion. Tuition is extreme, laptop restrictions are punitive, and laundry fees extract constantly. Each decision is framed as progress, but the reality is extraction, restriction, and deflection. Students pay more, disclose more, and receive less. This is not education. It is institutional sabotage.
