The University of Texas at Arlington is launching the new program to make higher education more accessible to low-income families.
鈥淭his program is going to demystify college costs for a population of families and students that need assistance,鈥� said Troy Johnson, vice president of enrollment management at UTA. 鈥淪o they don鈥檛 have to worry about whether or how much to come up with to pay tuition and fees. That鈥檚 really, in short, very powerful.鈥�
Eligible students must be Texas residents, enrolled full time and come from families whose adjusted gross income is $85,000 a year or less. New and transfer students can qualify, as long as they stay on track to graduate on time.
Johnson said students won鈥檛 have to jump through any extra hoops to apply because it鈥檚 baked right into the existing admissions process.
鈥淥ne of our goals, especially for low-income, first generation students, is to remove barriers,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o we sat down and said, 鈥楬ow can we do this without asking anything more from parents and students?鈥� who are frankly overwhelmed by the college-going process.鈥�
Johnson said students just need to submit the normal financial aid forms once they鈥檙e admitted. Then the school will assess their eligibility and automatically qualify them for the grants if they meet the requirements.
Students already enrolled at UTA will automatically be considered for the program.
The goal is to encourage more students to pursue college even if it鈥檚 outside of their means, but Johnson said he also hopes the program will improve graduation rates.
鈥淣ational and local research is showing that low-income students are the most affected in terms of their inability to continue in college at the same rates they used to before the pandemic,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his should shore that back up, and not only bring those students back 鈥� but hopefully it will just continue to increase their overall graduation rates over time.鈥�
The program is funded through the from the UT System Board of Regents, meant to reduce the cost of higher education for undergraduate students and their families across UT System schools.
鈥淔inancial challenges should never stand in the way of any Texan who wishes to earn a high-quality UT degree,鈥� said UT System Chancellor James Milliken. 鈥淯T Arlington graduates offer essential expertise to Texas鈥� strong and competitive economy, and we hope the Promise Plus program makes their educational path financially easier.鈥�
The Blaze Forward initiative will begin in the fall 2022 academic semester and is expected to cover tuition and fees for roughly 4,000 students.
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