University Of Texas-Austin To Provide Free Tuition To Low-Income Students In 2020

The University of Texas-Austin flagship campus is to cover full tuition for students with a family income of $65,000 or less beginning in fall 2020. The Typical Student team learned the details.

How Many Students Will Get Their Tuition Covered?

An estimated 8,600 students (about 24% of the undergraduate student body) will get their tuition and fees covered under the new program. At that, graduates and out-of-state students are not eligible for the program, but transfer students are.

On Tuesday afternoon, the unanimous vote decided to move $160 million from the state's Permanent University Fund and use it as the state endowment for the UT students. That’s a significant step forward keeping in mind that annual tuition and fees at UT for an in-state undergraduate student are $10,314. 

Texas Advance Commitment Program At UT-Austin 

It is expected that the move will support the UT-Austin's Texas Advance Commitment program started in 2018. This program is covering full tuition and fees for students that come from families with an annual income of up to $30,000. To date, that program has helped about 4,000 students.