Texas Christian University initiates a tuition-free plan for qualified Texas students
Texas Christian University (TCU) has announced a new initiative called TCU for Texans, which aims to make the university more affordable for in-state students. The program will provide financial assistance to eligible students, covering tuition, housing, and food costs [1][3][5].
The TCU for Texans program is designed to help high-achieving Texas students who might find TCU financially out of reach [1][3][5]. Eligibility requirements include being a Texas resident, receiving a Pell Grant, having a family adjusted gross income (AGI) of $70,000 or less (with reasonable assets), completing both the FAFSA or TASFA and the CSS Profile by the priority deadline (November 1, 2025), and undergoing annual reassessment of financial need throughout the student’s college journey [1][3][5].
Heath Einstein, vice provost for enrollment management, stated that TCU wants Texan families to know they remain a bedrock at the university [6]. Nearly 80% of TCU students currently receive financial aid [7].
The TCU for Texans program is part of the university's 10-year strategic plan, which includes increasing enrollment by 5,000 students and making the university more accessible for students who need financial assistance [8].
The initiative begins with the incoming first-year class of Fall 2026 [1][3][5]. TCU's enrollment has grown rapidly in the last decade, with enrollment rising by 29% between fall 2014 and fall 2024, enrolling 12,938 students last fall [2].
The program follows similar initiatives by other Texas universities. Texas A&M's Aggie Assurance program covers tuition and fees for families with income and assets below $60,000 [9], and the University of Texas System announced in November that students at its campuses whose families make less than $100,000 in adjusted gross income would be eligible for free tuition beginning this fall [10].
The tuition for the upcoming school year at TCU is $63,500, according to the university's website [11]. TCU is also expanding its campus to meet the growing demand, including building more student housing [4].
McKinnon Rice, a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report, reported this news. The article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References:
- TCU for Texans
- TCU Enrollment Statistics
- TCU for Texans Press Release
- TCU Campus Expansion
- TCU for Texans FAQ
- Heath Einstein, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
- TCU Financial Aid Statistics
- TCU 10-Year Strategic Plan
- Texas A&M Aggie Assurance
- University of Texas System Free Tuition Announcement
- TCU Tuition and Fees
- The TCU for Texans program, part of TCU's strategic plan, is aimed at providing financial assistance to help high-achieving Texas students who might find TCU financially out of reach, covering tuition, housing, and food costs.
- The program follows similar initiatives by other Texas universities, with Texas A&M's Aggie Assurance program covering tuition and fees for families with income and assets below $60,000, while the University of Texas System announced free tuition for students with family income under $100,000.
- The University of Texas System also announced that students at its campuses with family incomes less than $100,000 would be eligible for free tuition, coinciding with the commencement of TCU's TCU for Texans program for the incoming first-year class of Fall 2026.
