The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved a groundbreaking initiative Wednesday, committing $35 million in immediate funding and expanding endowments to ensure long-term affordability. With the expansion, qualifying students will be able to attend any UT institution completely tuition-free beginning next fall. “What we’ve done is we've added to our Promise Plus program, which was initiated by the Board of Regents three or four years ago to help with tuition assistance and fee assistance for our students,” said Kevin Eltife, chairman of the Board of Regents.
“We voted to make it across the board at all nine academic institutions, which includes UT Tyler and SFA (Stephen F. Austin State University).” The Promise Plus Program is designed to help in-state undergraduate students by combining multiple forms of financial assistance into a comprehensive package.
The program uses adjusted gross income (AGI), reported on tax returns, as its benchmark, just like other financial assistance programs such as Pell Grants and state grants. “These are students who would be applying for tuition assistance anyway, so they go through that process,” Eltife explained. “Once they prove eligibility for those grants, if the family’s adjusted gross income is $100,000 or less, they can apply for the Promise Plus program.
This ensures they receive all available federal and state grants, and the Promise Plus program will cover the rest, fully meeting their tuition and fee.