AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin wants to help students afford housing through a new pilot program.
The program, for which the university set aside $5.8 million from its housing revenue, would provide housing scholarships for students from low- and middle-income families. According to the university, the program will also prioritize first-year students.
“We have already made progress in reducing and, in some cases, eliminating the cost of tuition for our students who can least afford it, through programs such as the Texas Advance Commitment,” UT President Jay Hartzell said. “Now we are actively working to identify new and more expansive solutions to mitigate the rising cost of Austin’s housing market, which has become a more acute financial barrier. This pilot program is the next step in our strategic effort to support our students in new ways.”
Students who plan to live in university residence halls can receive up to $1,800 per academic year through Texas Advance Commitment (TAC). The university stated that this scholarship is "part of a larger strategy to address housing affordability."
The scholarship will help 3,500 eligible students. Here is a breakdown of how much TAC will provide depending on family income and tuition support:
- A student who receives full tuition benefits and has a family income that is $65,000 a year or less is eligible for a housing award of $1,800 for the 2023-24 academic year
- A student who receives full tuition benefits and has a family income between $65,001 and $125,000 annually is eligible for an award of $900
- Students may choose any university residence hall to be eligible
The housing market is Austin has been driving students to seek more affordable options such as living off-campus. But some students say the unaffordability is everywhere.
Ailin Flores is a junior at UT and lives in the West Campus neighborhood, near the university. She said housing is a huge problem overall, but mentioned that because she comes from a low-income family, she can see the benefit this newly launched program can have.
"As someone who falls under the Texas Advancement Commitment – that's how I able to get free tuition at UT – I think it's a good start," Flores said.
Other students who also feel the strain of finding an affordable place to live think there should be other solutions to mitigate the rising costs for students everywhere.
"Housing is extremely expensive, like here at UT. There's a lot of work that needs to be done," sophomore Josh Bedingfield said.
In the university's release, officials added they were exploring all avenues when it comes to the rising costs students are facing and hope with this program, some will be encouraged to move on-campus, as the university anticipates costs to drop within the next year.
“This pilot scholarship program is the next step among many that we will take as we work to expand initiatives and introduce new opportunities to benefit our students,” Hartzell said. “Improving access to housing on or near campus aligns with our core objective of enabling success for all our students and ensuring the highest-potential students continue to pursue their education at UT Austin.”
The pilot program is part of the university's 10-year strategic plan "Change Starts Here." This plan is aimed at reducing financial barriers for low- and middle-income students seeking higher education. UT wants to provide more competitive financial packages, which include need-based support for housing.
Students who will receive the scholarship money will start seeing notifications on April 19.