UT System to offer free tuition for qualifying Texas families
AUSTIN - Students with families who make less than $100,000 could soon receive free tuition at the nine academic institutions in the University of Texas System.
The University of Texas System Board of Regents’ Academic Affairs Committee gave preliminary approval to an expansion of what it calls its "Promise Plus" program.
Under the program, students accepted into UT schools who come from families with an adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less will have their tuition and fees paid for.
In order to qualify for Promise Plus, students must be Texas residents, enroll full-time in undergraduate programs and apply for state and federal aid.
The full Board is expected to vote on the plan Thursday.
If approved, the expanded program would begin in the fall of 2025.
"To be in a position to make sure our students can attend a UT institution without accruing more debt is very important to all of us, and as long as we are here, we will continue our work to provide an affordable, accessible education to all who choose to attend a UT institution," said Kevin P. Eltife, the chairman of the Board of Regents.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - MAY 11: Fireworks are displayed during the conclusion of commencement at the DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium on May 11, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Amid nationwide tension on college campuses over the war between Israel and Hamas, students cont
UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken called the program a "game changer" that will improve access to colleges for all Texans.
The Promise Plus program was established in 2022 and covered tuition and fees for UT System students whose families' adjusted gross income was $65,000 or less.
The programs' expansion comes from a $35 million campus investment. The money will come in part from endowment distributions and the Available University Fund.
The University of Texas System is the largest in Texas with more than 256,000 students at 14 institutions.
The nine academic institutions in the UT System are the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of Texas at El Paso, the University of Texas at Tyler, the University of Texas Permian Basin, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Stephen F. Austin State University.