UTSA has frozen all resident undergraduate academic costs, including tuition, mandatory academic fees, all academic-related general fees and college course fees, for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years. This move was made possible by the Texas Legislature’s $700 million investment in higher education affordability and the University of Texas System Board of Regents voting to enact the motion to maintain certain tuition and fees at current levels for the next two years.
UTSA is home to a plethora of aid programs designed to combat the adversity caused by the lack of affordability, the frozen tuition only adds to the list. Qualifying UTSA students can obtain aid through programs like FAFSA, the Pell Grant and UTSA’s Bold Promise Program. According to UTSA Today, 71% of UTSA students are eligible for need-based financial aid, and this year’s total aid and scholarship disbursement is estimated to top $300 million.
This move is a total win for both UTSA and its students. UTSA continues to be an amazing, affordable option for higher education, with its previously listed aid programs being a considerable draw factor for students planning on attending higher education.
Higher education is one of the greatest contributing factors toward upward social mobility, and affordability continues to be one of the greatest obstacles to higher education attendance. This barrier also only continues to grow. According to the U.S. News and World Report, adjusted for inflation, in-state tuition and fees at public National Universities have grown about 56% over the past two decades.
Despite its shortcomings, such as issues with internet connectivity and communication with staff, this move cements UTSA as a quality school that truly cares about student’s ability to continue attending at an affordable rate. While I believe that college should be free universally to prevent the business that it has become, UTSA does an adequate job of delivering aid to lower-income students who are in financial need. The motion sets UTSA apart from other schools whose attendance costs only continue to rise. I hope that UTSA continues actions like these after the two years are over to further prove their allegiance to higher education affordability.
