Texas A&M Offers Free Tuition for Families Earning Under $100K Annually

A bold step to make college affordable: Texas A&M's new policy could transform access for thousands. Will other universities follow suit?

, and Administrator

2026 February 22 . 7:21 PM

1 min read

The image shows a blue background with a map of Texas on the left side and an arrow pointing... — The image shows a blue background with a map of Texas on the left side and an arrow pointing upwards. On the right side of the image, there is text that reads "17 6% increase to 75,588 international students".

Texas A&M Offers Free Tuition for Families Earning Under $100K Annually

Texas A&M University will offer free tuition to incoming undergraduates from families earning up to $100,000 a year. The new policy starts in the 2026-27 academic year and builds on the school's existing financial aid efforts. Officials say the move aims to make higher education more affordable for middle-income people in Texas.

The expanded aid programme raises the income threshold from $60,000 to $100,000 under the Aggie Assurance scheme. This change comes as Texas A&M faces competition from other state universities, including the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Texas, which already offer free tuition for residents from families with similar income levels.

Since 2022, Texas A&M has frozen undergraduate tuition and fees at 2021 rates. This freeze has saved students around $61 million collectively over four years, with each student keeping about $4,225 that would have gone toward inflation-adjusted increases. Roughly 80,000 undergraduates have benefited from the measure so far.

The university reports that 63% of its 2024-25 graduates left without student loans. Texas A&M's decision follows a broader trend, as other institutions—such as Yale, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Utah—have also expanded free tuition programmes in recent months. Yale now covers full tuition for families earning up to $200,000 and all costs for those below $100,000.

The policy will take effect for students entering in fall 2026. It reflects growing efforts by universities to address concerns about rising college costs and declining public trust in higher education. Texas A&M's move is expected to increase access for students from middle-income backgrounds across the state.