Starting this fall, thousands of students enrolled at University of Texas schools will receive free tuition. The UT System Board of Regents approved a $300 million endowment to create the “Promise Plus” program. According to the Board of Regents, the program will apply to seven UT schools: UT Dallas, UT El Paso, UT Arlington, UT Rio Grande Valley, UT Permian Basin, UT San Antonio, and UT Tyler.
According to NBC, the Promise Plus endowment will allow UT Dallas to expand their Comet Promise program. The Comet Promise program offers free tuition for students under a certain income. It covers tuition for families that make below $25,000 a year. With the additional funding through the new UT endowment, the new family annual income threshold is $65,000.
“The students who benefit from this support are among the best and brightest,” UT Dallas President Richard C. Benson stated in a press release. “They are our future leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators. I am incredibly grateful for this support and what it means to our mission at the university.”
According to the UT Dallas press statement, funding from Promise Plus is expected to grow, allowing more students to benefit from tuition assistance in the future.
“Financial challenges should never stand in the way of any Texan who wishes to earn a high-quality UT degree, and I’m grateful to the Board of Regents for this new and important investment in our students,” UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said. “UT Dallas graduates offer essential expertise to Texas’ strong and competitive economy, and we hope the Promise Plus program makes their educational path financially easier.”
NBC reported that UT Arlington will use the Promise Plus endowment to launch their Blaze Forward program. The Blaze Forward program will provide free tuition for students with a family income of less than $85,000 a year. The university expects around 4,000 students to benefit from the program in the fall.
Troy Johnson, the vice president of enrollment management at UT Arlington, said universities have a responsibility to be accessible to all students.
“There’s definitely a social responsibility here among universities, especially to make sure that universities are accessible,” Johnson told NBC. “We want to be sure that people don’t get left behind. Bright people — people that are going to become great engineers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, historians, and economists. They come from all walks of life and all income levels. So making sure that lower-income families aren’t left out as we move forward is a really positive step.”
Promise Plus funding is only available to students who are full-time undergraduates and Texas residents. Students must also qualify for aid through the FAFSA. Individual UT schools may implement additional eligibility requirements.
According to UT Arlington interim President Teik C. Lim, UT Arlington plans for the Blaze Forward program to provide free tuition for at least 4,600 students each year.
“We want to make a UTA education even more attainable and give strong financial assurances to families and students in need,” Lim said. “By devoting more of our resources toward the success of our students, we’re investing in the future of our University and in the promise and potential of thousands of talented current and future Mavericks from North Texas and beyond.
Promise Plus funding is available for current and future UT students starting this fall semester.
