‘A game changer:’ UT System announces free tuition for qualifying Texas families

By Aarón Torres and Marcela Rodrigues | Dallas Morning News (TNS)

Students whose families make less than $100,000 annually will get free tuition and waived fees at any of the academic universities in the University of Texas System, the board of regents announced Wednesday.

The initiative is an expansion of the Promise Plus Program, a need-based financial aid program approved by the board in 2022.

Starting in fall 2025, students accepted into UT academic universities, such as UT Dallas and UT Arlington, will have 100% of their tuition and fees paid for if they qualify.

UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said this program is a “game changer” that will make “enormous, real difference” to improve college access for all Texans.

Chairman Kevin P. Eltife said the move is meaningful for families across the state who hadn’t previously thought about college as a possibility.

“This is so meaningful,” he said. There are so many people out there that don’t think they have the opportunity to go on to higher education. They think it’s out of their reach.”

The system has about 256,000 students across 14 universities and health centers.

Kevin Eltife, the chairman of the board of regents, said being in a position where students can attend a UT institution without going into debt “is very important to all of us.”

“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,” Eltife added.

To pay for the new initiative, the regents will provide the universities with $35 million, which comes from endowment distributions, the Available University Fund and other resources.

This is a developing story and will be updated frequently.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.

©2024 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The post ‘A game changer:’ UT System announces free tuition for qualifying Texas families appeared first on MyRGV.com.