UT Arlington will invest an additional $25 million in student scholarships over the next five years, beginning in the fall 2021 semester
The financial commitment is aimed at encouraging a diverse student body and supporting “first-generation college students, low-income families, high-achieving students, and those facing challenges in the wake of COVID-19,” the university announced in a news release.
It’s also intended to keep students from leaving the state.
More than 32,000 starting undergraduates left Texas to attend college out of state in the fall 2018 semester, according to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics.
“It is important that our state retain more high-performing ethnically and racially diverse students whom many other states specifically seek to lure away,” UT Arlington Interim President Teik Lim said in the news release. “We have the opportunity to align this financial commitment with efforts of keeping diverse talent in Texas.”
Because many of the most talented students are lured out of state by scholarship offers, UT Arlington will direct its scholarship funds toward students with the strongest records of academic achievement, according to the news release.
UT Arlington spends more than $40 million annually on scholarships and financial support, according to the news release.
