UT System set to provide undergraduate Texans from low-income families free tuition

By LARRY BONILLA/Copy Editor

The University of Texas System Board of Regents’ Academic Affairs Committee gave preliminary approval to provide tuition free education to undergraduate Texans attending any of the UT System’s nine academic institutions, whose families have an adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less, beginning next fall—according to the UT System’s Nov. 20 press release.

On Nov. 21, the full Board of Regents will vote on the plan which will include a $35 million grant to the UT System campuses. This decision will put the UT System as the first in Texas to offer significant financial aid to undergraduates, an act very few other academic institutions across the U.S. have done.

In this monumental step in financial aid for Texans, the UT System Board of Regent affirm their commitment to guarantee all worthy Texans a bachelor’s degree from any UT institution despite their financial situation.

This is a part of a series of efforts by the Regents since 2019 to make the UT system accessible and affordable for Texans. In 2022, the Regents established the ‘Promise Plus’ endowment which is a need-based initiative for Texans seeking education from one of the UT Institutions without concern for fees and tuition costs.

From the vote on Nov. 20, a new standard of $100,000 was settled for all UT system institutions. Regardless of any of the nine UT institutions, Texan undergraduates will not be charged mandatory fees if their families’ adjusted gross income is less than that new standard.

The UT System press release also cites the decline of average student debt over the past years. On average, it is 10% lower across Texas public four-year universities. Additionally, UT graduates with debt has declined from 53.6% in 2019 to 47.8% in 2023.