University of Texas at Austin
PA-8: Affordability and Access

In addition to traditional federal, State, and institutional financial aid options through the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, UT Austin is committed to making higher education accessible and affordable for students from low- and middle-income families. The Texas Advance Commitment expanded in 2020 to ensure that incoming freshmen and new transfer students with family-adjusted gross incomes of up to $65,000 have tuition covered and families with between $65,001 to $125,000 (previously $100,000) who have financial need will receive institutional need-based aid financial aid. https://www.admissions.utexas.edu/cost-aid/financial-aid/texas-advance-commitment/#:~:text=Have%20a%20family%20adjusted%20gross%20income%20(AGI)%20between%20%240%2D,support%20to%20cover%20their%20tuition.  

Starting with a 2020 cohort of students, the UT for Me - powered by Dell Scholars program is a partnership with the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. The University of Texas at Austin that is dedicated to closing the gap in college graduation rates across income levels by providing Pell-eligible undergraduate students entering in 2020 and beyond with both programming and financial support that includes laptops, book credits, emergency funds, and dedicated programming and staff support. https://utforme.utexas.edu/   

In 2020, UT Austin opened the Texas One Stop to centralize, both physically and digitally, services for Financial Aid, Registrar, and Student Accounts Receivable. Texas One Stop will make UT Austin more easily accessible to all students, particularly to those relying on financial aid to support their studies. https://onestop.utexas.edu/  

Texas Financial Wellness was created to help improve the financial health and security of all UT students. Through one-on-one counseling and workshops, a dedicated team provides students the tools and resources they need to make healthy, financial decisions during their academic career, and beyond graduation. https://financialwellness.utexas.edu/  

With funding support from the University Innovation Alliance and the UT Co-Op, UT Austin began offering Completion Scholarships. These are typically small amounts of funding, averaging around $1100, to support students' needs that could otherwise result in leaving UT Austin without completing a degree. Typically, these funds may support tuition costs of a summer course to get or stay on track for four-year graduation. https://undergradcollege.utexas.edu/student-success/student-success-scholarships 

UT Austin is addressing food insecurity through the new UT Outpost food pantry and through a new study examining the impact of providing meal plans to students with high financial need. https://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sos/utoutpost.php  

For students from selected low-income high schools across Texas, UT Austin has collaborated with college access platform RaiseMe to award students for studying, volunteering, and getting involved in their community. Students can earn "micro-scholarships" during their years in high school to begin preparing for their undergraduate experience at UT Austin. https://www.raise.me/edu/the-university-of-texas-at-austin  

UTeach Outreach targets and serves underrepresented students by providing college readiness enrichment activities designed to assist them in graduating from high school and matriculating to institutions of higher education, including The University of Texas at Austin. Five UTeach Outreach Centers located in Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and South Texas work with low-income and first-generation students in targeted low-income, underserved high schools. The Outreach Centers have vigorous programs that include tutoring, study skills workshops, workshops to prepare for the SAT and ACT exams, assistance with college applications, and special programming for parents and guardians to educate them regarding student needs to be college eligible. https://outreach.uteach.utexas.edu/         

The Longhorn TIES (Transition, Inclusion, Empower, Success) initiative supports students with complex needs, such as autism. The TIES program seeks to enhance the student experience for those who identify as being on the autism spectrum or neurodiverse through advocacy, connection, and training throughout the students' academic career. https://newstudentservices.utexas.edu/longhorn-ties  

There is also a Veterans and Military Affiliated Services office on campus, which provides a one-stop shop for veterans with regard to academic, social and health care services. http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/veterans 

https://reports.utexas.edu/common-data-set/interactive  - Financial Aid, Section H, Item 2

https://dashboard.utsystem.edu/data-index/student-debt