DECEMBER 23, 2024 — Editor’s note: This article was originally published on November 22, 2024.
Beginning with new students entering in Fall 2025, UTSA will expand eligibility to its Bold Promise tuition assistance programs to Texas families with incomes of up to $100,000, up from the previous threshold of $70,000. This change is made possible through the University of Texas System’s announced $35 million investment to enhance the Promise Plus endowment, reaffirming its commitment to making higher education more affordable for Texans.
The expansion of Bold Promise follows the UT System Board of Regents’ recent action to raise the adjusted gross incomes (AGI) eligibility threshold for all UT institutions. Approved as part of the Promise Plus program, the Board’s commitment includes both immediate campus investments and long-term endowment growth to ensure access and affordability for generations of Texas students.
“We are deeply grateful to Chairman Eltife, the UT System Board of Regents, Chancellor Milliken and the UT System for their leadership and visionary commitment to creating even more opportunities for student success at UTSA,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “This initiative further positions UT System and our institution as leaders in social mobility, ensuring that more students can access higher education without added burdens. This expansion will have such a long-lasting impact on our students and families, and to future generations, by empowering more Roadrunners to thrive in their academic and professional journeys.”
“This expansion will have such a long-lasting impact on our students and families, and to future generations, by empowering more Roadrunners to thrive in their academic and professional journeys.”
Since UTSA launched the program in 2020, more than 5,000 students have enrolled at the university through Bold Promise. The program covers 100% of tuition and mandatory fees for eligible first-time freshmen from Texas. Students must rank in the top 25% of their high school class, enroll full-time, and maintain program eligibility requirements.
More than 2,900 UTSA students are currently enrolled at the university through Bold Promise.
“The Bold Promise program has opened doors to higher education for so many of our students to pursue their academic and career aspirations, and we’re excited to see this opportunity expand even further,” said Heather Shipley, UTSA provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “With the increased income threshold, we anticipate extending the program to several hundred additional students each year, providing more than $2.5 million in tuition and fee assistance.”
Approximately 300 students from Bold Promise’s first cohort graduated from UTSA in 2023-2024, with an average GPA of 3.37. Of these, 67% were first-generation college students.
The expansion also benefits students who transfer to UTSA through the AlamoPROMISE to UTSA Bold Promise program. Launched in 2022, UTSA announced Promise-to-Promise, an expanded transfer agreement with Alamo College District (ACD) to allow eligible students to start at any of the five ACD schools and then transfer to UTSA to complete a four-year degree while having educational costs covered at both institutions.
