Dean Paul Goldbart sent a message to supporters of the College of Natural Sciences serving on its Advisory Council, in light of a University of Texas Regents decision that will allow students from households earning $65,000 or less to have their tuition at UT Austin fully covered beginning in fall 2020.
You may have seen news of the critical step forward for our work to support students in reaching their full potential through meaningful and affordable educational opportunities in Natural Sciences.
Today, the University of Texas Regents, under the leadership of its Chair Kevin Eltife, approved a move to empower UT Austin to provide significantly more financial support for Texas students from middle-income and low-income families. Through the Texas Advance Commitment, and with today's decision to draw down $160 million in Permanent University Funding, the university will be able to completely cover the tuition costs for Texas students whose families earn up to $65,000 – and also assure financial aid for those students whose families earn up to $125,000.
President Fenves has called this both an investment in our students' future and "one of the largest commitments ever made to improving college affordability among the nation's leading public research universities." [A video from President Fenves is below.]
This valuable investment is a game-changer for many and a first step toward being able to guarantee that every promising student we admit from low- and middle-income families can attend and thrive at UT Austin without concerns about affordability.
