Free UTEP tuition for El Paso students from families making $100,00 a year or less
EL PASO, TX (KVIA) -- UTEP announced they have expanded their Paydirt Promise for families in the El Paso area.
The Promise previously had been for families making $80,000 per year, but now the Promise will be expanded for families making up to $100,000 per year.
The Board of Regents allocated an additional $35 million to the fund to support the expansion.
The Promise covers tuition and mandatory fees for eligible students. Students must be Texas residents and have to be pursuing their first bachelors degree.
According to UTEP, currently more than 9,000 students benefit from the program, and with this they hope hundreds more can qualify.
The UT system is also expanding the program for all 9 of it's campuses, also for families making $100,000 per year.
ABC-7 spoke with UTEP students about the expansion, and they were very happy, quoting student debt as a big reason.
"I know that a lot of people struggle with debt. And to be able to, like, not take out loans just to get a bachelor's degree is super awesome," said Astrid Ochoa.
ABC-7 also spoke with Dr. Amanda Vasquez-Vicario, the Vice President for enrollment management at UTEP.
She said that about 50% of UTEP students graduate without student debt, but with the expansion they want that number to be higher.
"We know that once they graduate, they're looking at personal responsibilities, possibly continuing on to grad school, which we always encourage. And so it's important for students to keep that debt as low as possible so that it's manageable for them when they graduate."
Dr. Vasquez-Vicario said that it's important for students to fill out their FAFSA applications so they know if they qualify for the Paydirt Promise. The application opened today, earlier than anticipated.
