The Austin Community College District Board of Trustees is seeking more time to examine a proposed College Affordability Plan. The plan includes a pilot program that would provide tuition for 2024 graduating high school seniors at no out-of-pocket cost.
“This is an exciting and complicated conversation. I want to thank my fellow Trustees for their time, attention, and care to make sure we’re doing due diligence,” says Dr. Barbara P. Mink, ACC Board of Trustees Chair. “As a board, it’s our responsibility to ensure we’re being good stewards to our entire community. A program of this magnitude takes time. We are going to be thoughtful about every aspect to ensure any plan we launch is sustainable, scaleable, and centered on academic success, social equity, and economic development.”
Trustees are requesting more time to evaluate specifics of the tuition pilot program.
“We’ve moved very quickly, and I want to thank the board for their guidance and thoughtful consideration to make sure we get it right. We all want to do what we can to alleviate the burden of paying for college for everyone. Our trustees are asking all the right questions to ensure we focus on the proposed program’s potential challenges, sustainability, and scalability,” says ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart. “Ultimately, we want a free tuition program to work for all ACC students. People are experiencing a life that’s not affordable, and they can’t find a way to climb out and up. It’s not about getting students in the door. It’s about eliminating barriers so that they not only come, they persist, they graduate, and they enter our local workforce with the skills and talents our community needs.”
Highlights of the proposed pilot program are below:
- All high school students or GED completers who graduate after July 1, 2023, and live in the ACC service area would be eligible for three years of tuition at no out-of-pocket cost to them. For example, an eligible student graduating from high school in May 2024 will be eligible from fall 2024 through summer 2027.
- Students who complete the initial program would be eligible for an additional two years to obtain a bachelor’s degree from the college.
- Students within the service area but not in the taxing district would still be responsible for the out-of-district fee.
- Eligible students would be encouraged to apply for additional financial aid and scholarships to support other college and life expenses, including child care, living expenses, food, and housing.
