Patriot Promise
Patriot Promise
Discover Your Future at an Affordable Price
Update 5/19/2025: The deadline for Fall 2025 admission and 2025-2026 FAFSA submission has been extended to July 1st. Priority eligibility will still be granted to students who completed all eligibility requirements prior to May 1st and students completing the requirements under the extended deadline will only be granted eligibility as funding allows.
UT Tyler is committed to providing high-quality, affordable education for anyone who wishes to pursue a degree. With more than 80% of UT Tyler students receiving financial aid, we provide millions of dollars in merit and need-based scholarships every year, making college more accessible and affordable.
The UT Tyler Patriot Promise is a tuition promise program that makes college more accessible and affordable to Texans. Beginning in Fall 2025, the Patriot Promise program covers tuition and mandatory fees for eligible students with a family income of $100,000 or less. The Patriot Promise is available to incoming first-time freshmen and transfer students. The Patriot Promise is not available to students who are receiving an exemption or waiver of tuition. Qualifying students will have their tuition and mandatory fees fully covered for up to four academic years (eight consecutive fall/spring semesters) if students maintain eligibility.
Tuition and mandatory fees are covered by scholarships, grants and tuition exemptions from federal, state and institutional funds. The Patriot Promise program operates on a last-dollar basis. A last-dollar award is an award that applies after all other gift aid has been added to a student's account. Gift aid refers to all scholarships, grants, exemptions and waivers provided by the institution, by the state government and by the federal government to a student.
Should a tuition and mandatory fee balance remain on a student's account following the application of all other gift aid, that remaining balance will then be covered by special Patriot Promise program funds to ensure complete coverage.
** Students who meet all eligibility criteria will be covered by Patriot Promise up to the available unmet financial need. **
Note: Patriot Promise does not cover expenses and fees related to books, housing, parking or meal plans.
How to Qualify
- Be a Texas resident.
- Be a new Freshman or incoming Transfer student.
- Have a family income up to $100,000.*
- Submit a Fall admission application, all required documentation, be admitted, and pay your confirmation fee by May 1st.**
- Submit a completed FAFSA by May 1st.***
- Enroll as a full-time student (at least 12 credit hours).****
Note: Students in an online or reduced tuition program are ineligible for Patriot Promise.
*Student must have financial need. Family income information will be determined from
the 2025-2026 FAFSA. Students admitted prior to Fall 2025 must have had a family income
up to $80,000.
**Please see requirements for application completion. Student must have graduated high school within seven months of initial enrollment as a first-time freshman or be directly transferring from another college as a transfer student.
***A completed FAFSA means a FAFSA that is not missing any information from the application itself. If the FAFSA is selected for verification that is not required to be completed prior to May 1; however, should verification result in a change of indicated family income, it may result in losing Patriot Promise program eligibility.
****Patriot Promise will only cover up to 30 credit hours of enrollment per academic year. Patriot Promise is only applied during Fall and Spring semesters.
How to Continue Eligibility
To continue to receive the Patriot Promise, students must meet the following eligibility qualifications:
- Complete a minimum of 24 credit hours at UT Tyler in the previous Academic Year.
- Maintain full-time enrollment (at least 12 credit hours) at UT Tyler.
- Submit a FAFSA yearly by May 1st and continue to meet income criteria.
- Maintain a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA at UT Tyler.
- Remain in good academic standing.
How to Apply
Students do not have to apply separately for this program. Patriot Promise is automatically awarded to qualified Texas residents who meet the program qualifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Students who do not complete 24 credit hours are encouraged to make up the remaining hours during the summer semester of that year. If students are unable to complete at least 24 credit hours between the fall, spring and summer semesters of an academic year, they will no longer be eligible for the Patriot Promise program. This cannot be appealed. Students are encouraged to work with their academic advisor to maintain sufficient progress toward their degree plan and timely completion of their program.
Since the Patriot Promise program is a tuition guarantee rather than a grant or scholarship it cannot be refunded to students. Patriot Promise program funding will only be applied to a student's balance if there is still a remaining tuition and fee balance after all other gift aid, and will only cover the remaining portion. If a student additionally takes out student loans those may be refunded since they are not considered gift aid and therefore do not impact Patriot Promise amounts.
The Patriot Promise program is a tuition guarantee, therefore whenever an eligible student's gift aid or tuition and fee balance changes Patriot Promise might have to adjust to match the new amounts.
If a student is eligible for Patriot Promise, their account is closely monitored throughout their academic career to ensure proper Patriot Promise processing. Once a student's Fall or Spring balance is posted to their account, shortly thereafter Patriot Promise will begin closely matching remaining financial need and appear on student accounts. Any amount posted prior to bills being added to accounts is purely an estimated number and should not be considered a final amount.
No, the Patriot Promise is for first-time freshmen seeking their first undergraduate degree.
No, the Patriot Promise is for first-time freshmen seeking their first undergraduate degree.
Students must have graduated high school within seven months of initial enrollment as a first-time freshman or be directly transferring from another college as a transfer student.
Students in an online or reduced tuition program are ineligible for Patriot Promise.
No, students must maintain full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours) to have tuition covered.
No, Patriot Promise program funding is only available during fall and spring semesters.
When you file your FAFSA, you will have the opportunity for other forms of aid, including the potential for work-study and federal direct student loans.
Patriot Promise covers only UT Tyler tuition and mandatory fees.
Financial Need is the difference between the cost of attendance (COA) and the Student Aid Index (SAI). (Financial Need = COA – SAI).
Still Have Questions?
Contact Undergraduate Admissions
Email:
admissions@uttyler.edu
Phone: 903.566.7203
Contact Financial Aid
Your financial aid package is a team effort. Reach out to clarify any questions, learn more about the scholarship application process and create an affordable college experience.
Email:
enroll@uttyler.edu
Phone: 903.566.7180