WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Undergraduate students in Central Texas and across the state have a new path to a college education, with schools in the University of Texas system offering free tuition and waived fees to families who make less than $100,000 a year at its nine academic institutions.
- The Board of Regents decided Thursday to expand the Promise Plus program to baseline eligibility of $100,000
- The initiative starts next fall and includes all nine UT campuses
- Local colleges like MCC and Texas A&M Central Texas do not anticipate a negative impact on their enrollment
- Students must be Texas residents, enrolled full-time, and apply for state and financial aid to qualify
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"I found it more cost effective," 18-year-old Joseph Butcher said.
Engineering student Joseph Butcher said he decided to attend McLennan Community College due to its cost and close proximity to family.
"MCC is very helpful," Butcher said. "They have a ton of resources available to all their students. I live very close by. I live just five minutes down the road, so it's a very convenient location for me."
Like many students at MCC, Butcher said he plans to transfer to a four-year college after graduation.
"Affordability is really the most important element of what you're offering in a community college environment," Dr. Chad Eggleston, MCC's Vice President of Instruction and Student Engagement said.
Joseph is likely among the thousands of students across the state who can now financially consider attending a UT system school thanks to Thursday's decision offering free tuition for families that make $100,000 or less.
"Especially as a public institution, you always want to be accessible, and part of being accessible is being affordable," Alba Cook, TAMUCT Executive Director of Enrollment Services, said. "I think the conversation has increased over the years as we start seeing things like inflation happening with a lot of the families."
I asked MCC and TAMU Central Texas if UT's Promise Plus Program could affect local enrollment numbers.
"We really don't anticipate that that will create a problem for us," Eggleston said. "We really celebrate and are so excited for any kind of program statewide that provides more access to capable students."
It's too early to know for certain how UT's announcement will affect our local colleges and universities, but like MCC, Texas A&M Central also told 25 News it does not anticipate it impacting enrollment numbers.
"We don't foresee that it will only because we feel like we're feeling different populations," Cook said.
Additionally, both schools tell me they typically target different student groups than the students that attend UT schools.
Students must be Texas residents, enrolled in a full-time undergraduate program at one of the UT system's nine campuses and are required to apply for applicable state and financial aid to qualify.
