UT Arlington will freeze tuition for TCC transfer students
In a move to sweeten its appeal among Tarrant County College students, UT Arlington announced Friday that it will freeze its tuition rates for TCC transfer students pursuing four-year degrees.
The financial incentive is part of the Early Transfer Identification Program, or E-TIP, an agreement between the University of Texas at Arlington and TCC that also aims to establish academic relationships with students early in their college careers to help guide them on a degree course at UTA.
The two institutions launched the program Friday at the TCC Trinity River Campus, where UTA President Vistasp Karbhari and TCC acting Chancellor Angela Robinson signed a memorandum of understanding. Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and Dallas Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Erik Wilson also attended.
“E-TIP is a critical component of Tarrant County’s response to the state’s 60x30TX plan, which calls for at least 60 percent of Texans ages 25 to 34 having a college degree or a certificate by 2030,” the two institutions said in statement. “Currently, about 38.5 percent of young Texans hold a degree or certificate.”
At the signing, Karbhari said the collaboration “brings together two distinct educational entities … responding to student needs as a single unit.” He added, “This partnership ensures access, excellence and affordability, replaces elitism with opportunity and simplifies rather than complicates the methods by which students apply, gain admission and complete a degree.”
UTA and TCC will share student data to create an early-admissions record for each student and guarantee that the tuition cost of enrolling at UTA will remain the same for 48 months.
UTA charges $168 per credit-hour for general undergraduate courses and up to $350 per credit-hour for nursing education courses, according to its registrar’s website.
Currently, about 38.5 percent of young Texans hold a degree or certificate.
UTA and TCC joint statement on new program
TCC’s rate increased from $55 per credit-hour last year to $59 this year, its registrar’s office said.
A full-time course load is considered to be 12 hours.
The E-TIP program aims to “increase the pipeline of college-bound students and ensure the region has a well-educated workforce” by connecting with students early and supporting them through completion of a bachelor’s degree, the statement said.
Robert Hedrick, a UTA senior set to graduate next week with a bachelor’s degree in economics, said he could have benefited from such a program when he was attending the TCC Trinity River Campus.
“I was in all these classes, fumbling around, not knowing what I was going to do,” Hedrick said in an interview after he spoke at the signing. The program will help future students organize their academic path. “It’s going to help hone the classes they take at TCC that will be better for them when they get to UTA. They won’t be wasting their time and money.”
The tuition freeze is a bonus, Hedrick added. “They can budget for it. They’re not even here yet, and they know exactly what it’s going to be.”
Robert Cadwallader: 817-390-7186, @Kaddmann_ST
By the numbers
Less than 23 percent Number of Texas students enrolled in a community college in 2009 who had advanced to a senior university by 2015.
5,750 Number of transfer students who enrolled in UTA last fall, accounting for about 67 percent of the university’s incoming students. UTA is the state leader in attracting transfer students.
No. 3 UTA’s national ranking in terms of transfers by U.S. News & World Report, based on the news magazine’s 2015 survey.
Almost 1,800 Number of students to transfer to UTA from TCC so far in the 2015-16 school year.
This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 2:09 PM with the headline "UT Arlington will freeze tuition for TCC transfer students."