UT San Antonio Bold Promise
UT San Antonio is committed to providing high-quality, affordable education for anyone who wishes to pursue a degree. UT San Antonio Bold Promise is a tuition promise program that aims to make college more accessible and affordable to Texans from middle- and low-income families. Qualifying first time incoming students will have their tuition and mandatory fees covered 100% for up to four academic years (eight consecutive fall/spring semesters) at our academic colleges as long as students maintain eligibility. Transfer students who qualify may have their tuition and mandatory fees covered 100% for up to 2 academic years (four consecutive fall/spring semesters). Find out information about how to qualify for Bold Promise at our Health campus and programs.
How does it work?
Students do not have to apply separately for this program. Bold Promise is automatically awarded to qualified Texas residents who meet the program qualifications. Tuition and mandatory fees are covered by a combination of scholarships (i.e., Distinguished Scholarships, Honors Scholarships, Outside Scholarships), grants (i.e., Pell Grant, Texas Grant) or tuition exemptions (i.e., Hazlewood) from federal, state and institutional funds.
** Students who meet all eligibility criteria will be covered by Bold Promise up to the available unmet financial need. For an explanation of unmet need please refer to our FAQs section**
Students will not see a fund called “Bold Promise” on their financial aid offer, but a combination of gift aid funding from different sources that covers the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for the year. Note: Bold Promise does not cover expenses and fees related to books, housing, parking or meal plan. However, students will have other aid offered, such as scholarships that exceed their tuition and fees, or other offered aid through loans or work study to help with these expenses.
How do I qualify?
New First-time Freshmen
New first-time freshmen fall applicants can qualify for the Bold Promise program if they meet the following qualifications:
Be a Texas Resident
Have a family income up to $100,000.*
Submit a FAFSA by January 15
Admitted to UT San Antonio by January 15
Rank in top 25% of high school class at the point of admission
Enroll full-time (12 credit hours or more) each semester
Note: Students in an online only program, or who select CAP admission, are ineligible for Bold Promise.
*Students must have financial need. Family income information will be determined from the FAFSA. Student must have graduated high school within 16 months of initial enrollment as a first-time freshman. Students must meet the above criteria at the time of admission.
Transfers
Transfer fall applicants can qualify for Bold Promise if they meet the following qualifications:
Be a Texas Resident
Have a family income up to $100,000.*
Submit a FAFSA and be admitted by May 1
Minimum Cumulative Transfer GPA of 3.2 (at time of degree completion)
Complete an Associate’s Degree and enroll at UT San Antonio the following fall semester
Enroll full-time (12 credit hours or more) each semester
Note: Students in an online only program are ineligible for Bold Promise.
*Students must have financial need. Family income information will be determined from the FAFSA.
Continuing Eligibility
To continue to receive the Bold Promise, students must meet the following eligibility qualifications.
- Submit a FAFSA by the priority deadline each year
- Maintain a 2.5 UT San Antonio GPA
- Enroll full-time (12 credit hours or more) each fall and spring semester to complete a minimum of 24 hours
- Remain in good academic standing
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bold Promise is part of the UT San Antonio’s effort to make college more affordable for our students. Qualifying first time incoming students will have their tuition and mandatory fees covered 100% for up to four academic years (eight consecutive fall/spring semesters) at our academic colleges as long as students maintain eligibility. Transfer students who qualify may have their tuition and mandatory fees covered 100% for up to 2 academic years (four consecutive fall/spring semesters). Find out information about how to qualify for Bold Promise at our Health campus and programs.
For eligible students, UT San Antonio will use sources such as scholarships (i.e., Distinguished Scholarships, Honors Scholarships, Outside Scholarships), grants (i.e., Pell Grant, Texas Grant) or tuition exemptions (i.e., Hazlewood) that come from the federal, state and institutional levels to cover tuition.
Bold Promise does not cover expenses and fees related to books, housing, parking or meal plan. However, students will have other aid offered, such as scholarships that exceeds their tuition and fees, or other offered aid through loans or work study to help with these expenses.
First time incoming students who qualify for the Bold Promise will have their tuition covered for a maximum of 8 fall and spring semesters, or 4 consecutive years of enrollment, if they maintain renewal eligibility requirements.
Transfer student who qualify for the Bold Promise will have their tuition covered for a maximum of 4 fall and spring semesters or 2 consecutive years of enrollment, if they maintain renewal eligibility requirements.
Yes, you may qualify for Bold Promise if you meet the requirements as a transfer student. Qualifying students will have their tuition and mandatory fees covered 100% for four fall and spring semesters within a 2-year time period (approx. $22,000 value across two years), as long as students maintain eligibility. Tuition is covered by scholarships, grants and tuition exemptions from federal, state and institutional funds.
This program began for first-time freshmen entering UT San Antonio in the Fall of 2020. The program for transfer students began in the Fall of 2026.
Students are automatically considered if they are qualified Texas residents who meet the program qualifications and program deadlines.
**Please note that if a student is selected for verification and the family income changes after validating tax information, this could impact eligibility for the Bold Promise.
The Bold Promise is for first-time freshmen and qualifying transfer students seeking their first undergraduate degree.
If an applicant’s high school does not rank students, the applicant can include a copy of the school’s profile and a GPA or grade distribution report. UT San Antonio will assign a high school graduating class rank to these applicants. The class rank will be determined based on the student’s GPA, the GPA scale utilized by the school and the profile of the high school. If you are placed into the first quartile and meet the remaining Bold Promise requirements, you will be considered for the program.
The Bold Promise is for first-time freshmen and transfer students seeking their first undergraduate degree.
Students participating in the UT CAP program are not eligible for Bold Promise. The Bold Promise program is designed for first-time freshmen who will be attending UT San Antonio for all four years.
To have tuition covered, students must maintain full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours).
Yes. In order to support timely graduation, awards are renewable for up to 4 years in the fall and spring semesters for full-time, new freshmen students and up to 2 years in the fall and spring semesters for full-time, transfer students.
To renew eligibility, you must enroll full-time in fall and spring, submit a FAFSA by the priority deadline each year, maintain a 2.5 UT San Antonio GPA and successfully complete a minimum of 24 hours.
The Bold Promise covers tuition for fall and spring semesters only.
When you file your FAFSA you will have the opportunity to many forms of aid including potential for works-study and federal direct student loans.
Bold Promise is to be used to cover UT San Antonio tuition and mandatory fees.
Yes, changes caused by verification or errors on your SRAR grade submission may affect eligibility for Bold Promise and other financial aid awards.
Bold Promise requirements must be met by the FAFSA deadline (January 15 for Freshmen; May 1 for Transfers).
Yes. For eligible students with a family income of $100,000 or less, tuition and mandatory fees will be covered through scholarships, grants and tuition exemptions from federal, state and institutional funds. A student’s Student Aid Index (SAI), as determined by the US Department of Education, is included in the Bold Promise calculation and may impact the award amount. A student’s SAI has the ability to reduce Financial Need. For an explanation of Financial Need please refer to our FAQ’s under the question, ‘What is Financial Need?’.
Financial Need is the difference between the cost of attendance (COA) and the Student Aid Index (SAI). (Financial Need = COA – SAI).
Unmet Financial Need, sometimes referred to as a gap, is the difference between Financial Need and the student’s need-based financial aid awards.
(Unmet Financial Need = Financial Need – Financial Aid).