The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation are partnering in an ambitious plan to narrow the completion gap for Pell-eligible students at the Texas institution’s flagship campus.
The foundation will gift the university $100 million over 10 years to enhance resources for its Dell Scholars program, which funds low-income students’ college costs and expenses, and also offers individual support services for these students.
“As a result of our groundbreaking partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, The University of Texas at Austin is poised to increase opportunities for thousands of talented students whose potential to achieve will be met with unprecedented commitment, resources and support,” said UT Austin President Dr. Gregory L. Fenves in a statement.
Starting in fall 2020, UT Austin’s Pell-eligible freshmen with the greatest need will join the Dell Scholars program, which means they’ll get $20,000 toward their college costs, including money for expenses like transportation, room and board. If they’re Texas residents – which 90% of UT Austin students are – they’ll receive that amount on top of the school’s Texas Advance Commitment, which covers the full cost of tuition for Texas families earning $65,000 or less.
All Pell recipients will also be offered a slew of support services from the Dell foundation staff. For instance, students will have access to financial literacy training, internship and career prep, tutoring, and peer advising. Each student will also receive a laptop.
The program is “really insightful” in recognizing that “money alone isn’t going to make a difference,” said Martin Van Der Werf, associate director of editorial and postsecondary policy at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.
For some of these students, “buying $20 worth of groceries might empty their wallet,” so money certainly helps, he added. Cost is the most common barrier to college access. But outside of expenses, low-income students also have unique needs, including extra “emotional support.”
