I am currently a Junior in high school, but I am also in the process of obtaining my Associates Degree from a local community college. I am in the top 6% of my class and so I will be eligible for automatic admission into UT Austin. I know I’ll be able to receive a full ride from UTD, but that school is simply too far away. I know UTA is very competitive and thus can’t give out as many scholarships. I was wondering if there is any way to graduate from UTA debt free or at least close to to it?
I am a first generation college student and my parents cannot contribute much, if any, to my college fund. I plan on working throughout college, but it’s be nice to not have to pay back loans. Especially since I plan on getting my PhD. Thank you!
Do you have work or family obligations that prevent you from moving to UTD to study there on a full ride?
In terms of UT Austin without debt, it depends on:
A. What the net price will be for you (after financial aid grants and scholarships).
B. What you and your parents can pay in cash, and what you can earn from work during summers and part time during the school year.
PhD programs worth attending should be funded with a tuition waiver and living expense stipend, but it is desirable not to have undergraduate debt to worry about (since the stipend may only barely cover living expenses).
UT offers free tuition if parents make 65,000 or less. If that’s the situation you’re in, you’re in great shape. If you live in Austin and have the ability to commute, then you could potentially graduate debt free.
Yeah, my mom is sick and so I would need to be making frequent trips home in order to make sure she’s alright. I believe I calculated my overall cost to be $29,772, baseline, without any aid.
What part of Texas are you from. What will be major if UT is the choice (top 6% gets you in UT but getting in the more popular majors is a different discussion. It is certainly cheaper to live in Richardson compared to Austin. UTD offers financial packages that make it hard to say no.
Possible? Yes, it’s possible. There are many folks who graduated from UTAustin with no debt. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to do so if what your family can pay and what the financial aid formulas and the school say you can pay do not agree.
If your family can not afford to pay anything for college, it means you may need free tuition and funds to pay for you commute, books and supplies. If you are eligible to get a tuition waiver, get scholarships, PELL grant, find a job that sufficiently meets any gap, in the combinations that make it possible, yes, you can bring the excess cost to zero or what your family can pay out of pocket.
You absolutely can graduate debt free.
If you have the courage and the sense of duty to your country and state then you can join the Texas Army National Guard or Texas Air National Guard. After you graduate from basic training and your advanced individual training, (“AIT” for the Army or “tech school” for the Air Force), you will be eligible for numerous tuition assistance programs. You can go to school full-time and will earn money serving just one weekend a month in the Austin area.
Go to the “Texas Military Department” website.
Best of luck!!
UT has good financial aid for students whose total family incomes are lower than I think $70K per year? Does that describe you?