UTA to cover tuition, fees for eligible undergrads with family incomes under $85K
Under its newly announced Blaze Forward program, The University of Texas at Arlington will make a college education more accessible by covering 100% of tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate students who meet all eligibility requirements and are from families with adjusted gross incomes up to $85,000.
The Blaze Forward program covers tuition and mandatory fees for new students for up to four years. Transfer students who have completed their associate’s degree will be covered for two years. Current students whose family incomes are below $85,000 will have tuition and fees covered for the number of semesters they have remaining for an on-time graduation. Students must be Texas residents and be eligible for the TEXAS Grant program to qualify.
Eligibility for financial support through the Blaze Forward program begins in the fall 2022 academic term.
“We want to make a UTA education even more attainable and give strong financial assurances to families and students in need,” said Teik C. Lim, interim president. “By devoting more of our resources toward the success of our students, we’re investing in the future of our University, and in the promise and potential of thousands of talented current and future Mavericks from North Texas and beyond.”
The name of the program is a nod to the University’s beloved mascot “Blaze,” as well as an example of the progress UTA is making in its commitment to providing access and ensuring student success—key tenets of the institution’s mission.
Under this new initiative, UTA expects more than 4,000 students to qualify in the coming year. As the program grows over time, more than 4,600 students a year will enjoy the benefits of Blaze Forward. Funding for this commitment comes from a variety of sources, including UTA funds, federal and state grants and a new allocation from the University of Texas System.
“The University of Texas at Arlington serves as a beacon for thousands of Texans working to improve their lives through academic excellence,” said Troy Johnson, vice president for enrollment management. “Launch of the Blaze Forward program means even more students will have the opportunity to experience the transformational power of a UTA education.”
Last year, the University became just the fourth institution to earn the Texas Tier One designation, a marker of academic and research excellence that brings with it access to the state’s National Research University Fund. UTA achieved the designation by reaching and exceeding benchmarks for research expenditures, doctoral graduates, academic achievement and quality of faculty.
UTA, which has 19 fellows in the National Academy of Inventors, more than any other Texas institution, is among an elite group of 131 institutions designated as R-1: Doctoral Universities—Very High Research Activity, the highest designation, by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
UTA has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report with the third highest undergraduate ethnic diversity index among national universities for 2022. UTA is designated as both a Hispanic Serving-Institution and an Asian American Native Pacific Islander-Serving Institution and is No. 1 in Texas among national universities for social mobility, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 rankings.
UTA graduates gain access to jobs at 22 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the North Texas region—the fourth most in the U.S.—and earn the highest first-year salaries of graduates from non-medical UT System institutions, according to the University of Texas System Smartbook 2021.
To learn more about the Blaze Forward program or to apply to UTA, go to https://go.uta.edu/blaze-forward.
