Texas A&M University is lifting the burden of hefty debts and offering free tuition for some low- to middle-income students.
The Aggie Assurance Program ensures free four-year tuition to students in the graduating class of 2012 and any incoming freshmen whose household incomes do not exceed $60,000. Students also must maintain a 2.5 grade point average.
“We want to continue our commitment to low- and middle-income families in Texas,” said Joe Pettibon, assistant provost in Texas A&M’s office of financial aid. “We want families to understand that A&M is an affordable and accessible place to get a degree.”
The program will supply $3 million annually to aid students, Pettibon said.
The program pays for state-mandated tuition but not for fees, books or boarding, according to the university’s Web site. A semester’s tuition for an A&M student enrolled in 15 hours is $2,449.25. Additional fees are estimated at $1,923.05.
The “set aside law,” passed during the 2003 Texas legislative session, mandates that a minimum of 20 cents for every dollar of tuition, not including fees, be set aside for financial aid compensation for eligible students.
“Some schools are modestly raising tuition because that’s what the public notices and raising the heck out of other fees,” said Kevin Hegarty, vice president of financial affairs and chief financial officer at UT. “I really don’t care if you call it a tuition or a fee. All I know is that I have to pay that amount, and if I am in an economically challenged bracket, I am going to need more help to pay those bills.”
UT tuition rates have risen about about 5 percent since last year and may continue to rise in the future, Hegarty said. Like A&M, UT has also implemented programs to help future students.
UT’s grant program sets aside 20 cents, or sometimes more, of each tuition and fee dollar to aid students whose family income is less than $80,000. Through grants and financial aid offered by the University, families earning less than $40,000 are also not liable to pay for “total academic costs,” he said.
About 40 percent of UT students receive financial aid, and 24,000 students have their total academic expenses paid for, said Juan Gonzalez, vice president for student affairs.
“We are concerned with accessibility,” Hegarty said. “We don’t want a student who deserves to attend this University [to not attend] because of cost. I congratulate the Aggies on this program. Both schools have the same concerns.”
