TTU Offers Free Tuition to Students in Families Earning Less Than $40K

Texas Tech has been assisting undergraduate students with their tuition (as well as mandatory fees) for more than a decade. Those from families with incomes below $40K qualify for the school’s supports in an effort to ensure parity between students and accessibility to programming. Dr. Ethan Logan, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management at Texas Tech University, noted the program as being “the next generation of college commitments for low socio-economic status.” When it was announced on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, that the University of Texas was taking the next step in similar tuition supports for 2020 (for those with a family income lower than $65,000), it confirmed Texas Tech’s pioneering move to assist its students as a solid step in the right direction.

Photo: Flickr/Austin Community College

The Red Raider Guarantee at Texas Tech has some distinct differences from the pending offer from UT. Logan explained that it covers all course-related fees and academic expenses, in addition to student services. However, room and board aren’t included. Its program funding is also generated through endowments and tuition set-aside, while UT’s program is funded through a permanent university fund, a state endowment for Texas A&M and UT from gas and oil revenues. In 2018, 3.3 percent of Texas Tech undergraduate students participated in the Red Raider Guarantee program. This amounted to assistance for 979 students. In 2019, that figure has nearly doubled, with approximately 1,500 students obtaining assistance, five percent of the student body.

Photo: 25th Air Force

UT and Texas A&M have been assisting with student tuition at varying levels from the university fund since 2007 and 2011, respectively. The decision to increase the assistance for 2020 more than doubles that which UT was previously offering and increases Texas A&M to a bracket which is felt recognizes middle-income families. Dr. Logan said that he feels such programs are a public service that social agents should do for reasons that are two-fold. He explained those reasons to kcbd.com as, “One, to provide the accessibility that would otherwise be restricted by finance, and two, because that potential for social mobility and the opportunity, the impact that that has to families of a low socioeconomic standing.” Others see such offerings as an acknowledgment that the rising cost of a college education is prohibitive to more than just for the “poor.” If Texas is to continue in its economic prosperity, a well-educated workforce is required. Studies indicate those who graduate from college earn double that which high school graduates take home. These programs and incentives open the doors to those who wish to achieve success but presently lack the financial means to obtain it. And, that kind of success is the reward of all who wish to work hard for it.