TCU announces free tuition for eligible undergraduate students from Texas
TCU plans to cover all costs for some Texas undergraduate students starting in fall 2026, the university announced Monday.
TCU will offer free tuition and financial assistance for food and housing for qualifying students through a new TCU for Texans program.
To qualify, students must be Texas residents who are first-year undergraduates eligible for Pell Grants, from families that earn $70,000 or less.
Students who qualify will be able to apply annually to have their financial support renewed. Eligibility will be reassessed every year based on a student’s need.
“We want students to know: if you have the drive and talent, we have the support,” TCU Chancellor Daniel W. Pullin said in a statement.
According to a news release announcing the program, the university has piloted TCU for Texans for the past three years, providing full tuition and food and housing support for “hundreds of academically talented Texans.”
The program is now expected to become a “cornerstone” of the university’s growth initiative, one of the four core goals of its 10-year strategic plan. TCU aims to have 14,900 undergraduate students by 2035.
A number of Texas colleges and universities have begun similar programs to increase affordability for Pell Grant-eligible, in-state students. Texas Wesleyan, UT Arlington, Texas State University, Texas A&M, the University of Houston and Baylor all have programs that will cover tuition for select low-income students, though exact requirements vary. Rice University also has a program that covers tuition, fees and room and board for qualifying students.
As a private institution, TCU’s tuition rates are the same for Texas residents and out-of-state students. Full-time tuition for both semesters of the 2025-26 academic year is $63,500. Housing and food for students living on campus is a total of $18,020 for both semesters.
Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduates who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and have “exceptional financial need.” During the 2022-23 academic year, 1,417 undergraduates at TCU were awarded Pell Grants, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Over 55% of students in TCU’s class of 2028 are from outside of Texas.
