ACC trustees to consider free tuition program for high school seniors

The program is for high school seniors or GED completers who live in the ACC service area, which includes Travis, Hays, Bastrop, Blanco, Caldwell and part of Williamson counties.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new program to give high school seniors and GED completers free tuition at Austin Community College could begin soon.

Austin Community College's Board of Trustees will consider approving a free college tuition pilot program at its Monday meeting. The program could begin this fall.

The program is for high school seniors or GED completers who live in the ACC service area, which includes Travis, Hays, Bastrop, Blanco, Caldwell and part of Williamson counties. Eligible students must have graduated after July 1, 2023. 

If approved, students would receive three years of tuition and fee funding starting the first fall semester after they graduate high school. Students can complete an associate degree and other credentials or certifications. Funding would include $85 per credit hour and would not cover program-specific fees or textbooks. 

If a student completes an associate’s degree, they can then receive an extra two years of tuition funding to complete a bachelor’s degree. ACC bachelor’s programs include nursing, manufacturing engineering, cybersecurity and software development.

How is it funded?

ACC said the first year of the program would cost about $7 million.

About $6.8 million will come from House Bill 8, which changed Texas community college funding to be based on outcomes rather than enrollment. This money will be used for "core operations" while other budget funding will cover the pilot costs.