UT Austin Unveils Housing Stipends for Lower-Income Students, Prompting Mixed Reaction

The University of Texas at Austin has announced a program that will help some students from lower- and middle-income families cover part of their on-campus housing costs for one academic year. Officially unveiled Wednesday, the initiative was previewed in an op-ed in the Austin American-Statesman over the weekend.

Under the plan, students whose families earn no more than $65,000 a year and who take part in the university's free tuition program can receive up to $1,800 for the academic year, which spans about 10 months. Students from families earning up to $125,000 who receive tuition benefits can get up to $900. The university said it would begin notifying eligible students Wednesday.

In a press release, UT officials said they expect to award housing stipends to 3,500 students. The money will go out on a first-come, first-served basis, with first-year students given priority. It was not clear whether students told they are eligible will also have to submit an application. The program's cost, about $5.8 million, will be paid from the rent the university collects on its housing.

UT President Jay Hartzell said in the release that the program would help ensure more low-income students can live on campus, closer to classes and to other students.

University housing, which includes a meal plan, will cost between $13,000 and $21,000 per academic year starting in the fall. The university says it prices the housing it owns similarly to private housing. Rent across the Austin area has hovered around $1,600 a month over the past year, after rising rapidly during the pandemic.

Some students questioned whether the stipend goes far enough. Ikram Mohamed, a junior from Pflugerville studying journalism and sociology, pays just over $1,400 a month for her half of a two-bedroom apartment in West Campus. "$1,800 for an academic year? I feel like that's ridiculous," she said, adding that she knows students who pay $1,800 a month in rent.

Lorianne Willett, a second-year student from San Antonio, said she could not afford to live on campus as a freshman and missed study sessions because she lived farther away. She said the stipend would not make a large difference. "That's pretty close to two months of rent for me," she said.

Others saw more value in the money. Casey McKee, a second-year student from Florida, would qualify because her single parent earns less than $65,000 a year, which gives her free tuition. She pointed to expenses such as a $170 monthly parking pass, groceries and gas. "I think that $1,800 goes a lot further than a lot of people would expect it to," she said.

Low-income students are often the most burdened by housing costs, balancing classes and jobs to afford living in central Austin. University staff did not respond to a request for an interview about the program.