Free Incomed-Based Undergraduate Tuition

The Falcon Free Program will cover tuition and mandatory fees (up to 15 credit hours for the fall and spring terms only) for first-time undergraduate, degree-seeking Texas residents with a family-adjusted gross income (AGI) that does not exceed $100,000. Students qualify annually for up to eight semesters of full-time undergraduate enrollment.  Full-time is defined as 12 hours or more each semester.

The Falcon Free Program is an annual program that starts each Fall term. Students must qualify each year for Falcon Free. Falcon Free awards are split between the fall and spring semesters. Funds are distributed until they are exhausted, so there may or may not be funds available for new students starting in spring terms. There is no separate application for the Falcon Free programs.

Students qualify for Falcon Free if they meet all of the following requirements:

• Have a combined family Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $100,000 or less.
• Accepted for admission in an on-campus or online undergraduate program and have completed their Financial Aid checklist(s) by June 1 for students starting in the Fall.
• Be a degree-seeking student who has not completed their first undergraduate degree.
• A Texas resident, according to state guidelines
• Enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours) each fall and spring semester
• Continuing students must maintain a semester GPA of 2.0 and successfully complete at least 12 hours each semester.

Deadlines

Continuing students must be registered for at least 12 hours and have their financial aid checklist completed by June 1 for the Fall term. For the spring term, continuing students must be enrolled in 12 hours by December 16. Please note 12 hours is a minimum number of hours; we recommend students take 15, if possible.

New students for the Fall term must be registered for New Student Orientation and have their financial aid award accepted by June 1. If funds are available for students starting in the Spring term, they must be registered for Orientation and have their financial aid accepted by December 15.

Priority for funding will be given to new and continuing students that complete their financial aid checklist items by June 1. After June 1, any remaining funding will be prioritized based on the completion of the checklist items.

This opportunity is provided until funding is exhausted and subject to change without notice based on the annual funding levels provided to the university by the federal and state education agencies.

Students may qualify for up to 8 full semesters. Many undergraduate programs can be completed in 8 semesters if students complete 30 hours per year. However, some programs require more hours or take longer to complete. Funding for additional semesters of academic work based on program requirements is possible via an appeal.