The University of Texas System (UT System) is expected to offer free tuition next fall to full-time undergraduate students of Texas families who earn less than $100,000.
On Wednesday, the system announced the move after the board of regents’ Academic Affairs Committee voted in favor of a preliminary proposal to update the “Promise Plus” program.
”After the full Board’s consideration and vote tomorrow, the plan will include a new, immediate infusion of $35 million directly to the campuses to make the UT System the first in Texas, and one of the few in the U.S., to offer such a sweeping financial aid benefit,” the announcement reads. “It also directs additional investment in its endowments supporting financial aid, ensuring the commitment of tuition relief in perpetuity. The combination of these actions today will ensure that average student debt at UT academic institutions continues to decline.”
”Today’s board vote now establishes a new baseline of $100,000 for all of UT’s academic institutions, meaning any student whose family has an [adjusted gross income] of that amount or less, will not be charged any tuition or mandatory fees, regardless of the UT academic institution they attend,” the statement continued.
Over the past five years, UT campuses have made various efforts to reduce tuition costs for students of lower-income families.
In 2019, the UT System authorized a $167 million endowment to eliminate tuition for UT Austin students of families that made less than $65,000 a year. The plan also provided assistance to those from families with an adjusted gross income of less than $125,000.
In 2022, the system implemented the Promise Plus program to expand such tuition assistance to all nine UT campuses.
“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,” Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said in a press release.
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“What is particularly gratifying to me, and to UT presidents, is that the Regents are not only addressing immediate needs of our current students, but they are taking the long view, ensuring that future generations will continue to benefit from this remarkable program,” UT System Chancellor James Milliken also remarked in the same press release.
“Across UT institutions, enrollment is growing, and student debt is declining, indicating success in both access and affordability,” he added. “That’s a rare trend in American higher education, and I’m proud the UT System is in a position to be a leader.”
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
