College Promise Programs Offer Free Tuition
Is free tuition a growing trend among American colleges? Public universities across Texas are expanding guaranteed tuition programs to address concerns about college affordability. InsideHigherEd.com reports that this comes as schools nationwide struggle to add value and manage overall higher education costs.
According to a directory published by Trellis Strategies, a Texas-based research and consulting firm, 34 of Texas’ 45 public four-year universities now offer at least one guaranteed tuition plan. And Texas isn’t the only state offering guaranteed tuition.
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College Promise Programs Offer Free Tuition
Annual family income thresholds for these offerings range from $30,000 to $130,000. Over the past year, the median income cap across the programs climbed from roughly $80,000 to $100,000. Among the 32 state initiatives that enforce strict income caps, 19 now include households earning $100,000 or more per year.
Some see this as broader recognition of the financial pressures associated with finding a school and getting a college education. To encourage participation, state officials launched an annual Free College Application Week, waiving application fees at public colleges and universities to boost prospective student applications.
Promise Programs in All 50 States
A nonprofit called College Promise focuses on expanding access to postsecondary education; it has introduced 475 Promise programs in all 50 states, involving roughly 1,850 colleges and universities nationwide.
Today, “College Promise” is both the nonprofit’s official name and the informal name of a growing movement across higher ed. As the name implies, a Promise program offers eligible students attending local community colleges or universities financial support for their education.
Thirty-eight states run their own programs. Data from College Promise indicates that roughly 1,850 schools participate. Because these arrangements often operate on a last-dollar basis, state institutions fund them after accounting for existing grants.
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Tuition is Only Part of the Cost
Eliminating tuition does not fully address the financial burden of earning a certificate or degree. Living costs, meal plans, transportation, course fees, and textbooks make up most of student expenses.
At Texas public four-year universities, for example, tuition and mandatory fees account for roughly 40 percent of the total cost of attendance. The remaining 60 percent covers non-tuition living expenses, which, if left unaddressed, can undermine student retention and graduation rates.
Guaranteed tuition provides pricing predictability during the admissions process, making it easier to budget and plan around education benefits, employment income, and family contributions.
Over 30 states sponsor College Promise programs that offer tuition-free college options. You can often find these by visiting your state’s department of higher education or student financial aid commission website.
>> Find VA-approved schools — try our School Finder tool.
About the author
Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
