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Frequently Asked Questions

Traditional Flat Rate Tuition FAQ

Flat Rate—What is flat rate tuition?

What does flat rate tuition cover? The flat rate tuition amount covers academic program costs, including tuition, mandatory fees and charges, and college and course incidental fees.

What about optional fees? You may still elect to receive optional services such as the Longhorn Sports package or the Cactus yearbook. You will be charged the appropriate fee in addition to the flat rate tuition amount.

Will I be charged any additional fees? There may be additional fees charged to you.  Examples include:

  • Optional items such as the Longhorn Sports package or the Cactus yearbook.
  • The refundable General Property Deposit charged one time to students enrolling for the first time at The University of Texas at Austin.
  • Late registration fees, installment plan service charge, late payment charges, et cetera, if applicable.
  • Study abroad program fees and costs for extensive field trips.
International students will be charged ISSS Support Service fees and health insurance fees each semester. In addition, a one-time orientation fee will be charged to international students when enrolling for the first time at The University of Texas at Austin.

How does traditional undergraduate flat rate tuition work?

Undergraduate flat rate is based on the student's major, residency status and the first semester the student was enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin. Tuition for one to seven hours is indexed to the number of semester credit hours taken. There is one rate for eight to 11 credit hours and a fixed rate for 12 or more credit hours.

Does it cost undergraduates more to take more hours?

The flat rate tuition amount for a full load undergraduate student is a fixed amount. The cost for any hours above 12 is the same for undergraduates. Therefore, it does not cost more to take more semester credit hours.

How does graduate and professional program flat rate tuition work?

Graduate and professional program flat rate is based on the student's area of study, residency and the first semester the student was enrolled in the graduate or professional program. Graduate and professional program flat rate is indexed to the number of semester credit hours taken and does not have a cap.

Why are the traditional flat rate tuition amounts different for each college?

Specific college and course services are factored into the flat rate tuition amounts. The individual college flat rate tuition amounts vary based upon the costs associated with materials or services provided in each college. View a chart of flat rate tuition amounts.

Is there financial aid available?

Contact the Office of Student Financial Services for financial aid eligibility requirements.

What are the benefits of traditional flat rate tuition?

Flat rate tuition allows a more transparent pricing structure. Students know in advance how much their cost of education will be for any number of semester credit hours taken because there is only one tuition bill line item—flat rate tuition.

Additionally, flat rate tuition instills public accountability as total academic costs are the flat rate tuition amounts. Increases in educational costs are seen in flat tuition rates only, and not in numerous college and course fees as was the case with the previous billing structure.

Flat rate tuition also allows full load undergraduate students to take more semester course hours and not be charged an additional amount. This can reduce time to graduation, which reduces the total education costs for students and their families. This program has increased the number of hours that students take and has helped increase graduation rates.

Flat Rate—Where are the fees?

What happened to the fees I used to be charged?

Mandatory college and course fees are no longer being charged separately. The costs for these services, which previously were funded by fees, are included in the flat rate tuition amount.

I need a detailed bill showing all of the fees.

Fees are no longer charged separately. Therefore there is no detailed bill available. Costs are combined together into the flat rate tuition amount.

Flat Rate—What about my situation?

What happens if I change majors?

If you change majors so that you are in a different college, you will be billed the flat rate tuition associated with the new college.

How am I billed for simultaneous majors?

Undergraduate students who pursue simultaneous majors in more than one college will be charged the higher college rate. They will not be charged for both colleges.

Tuition for graduate Dual Degree Programs is unique to each program and is available from Student Accounts Receivable at fbic@austin.utexas.edu.

I am part of the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan (Texas Tomorrow Fund).

The entire amount of resident flat rate tuition will be covered due to your participation in the plan. If applicable, you will be charged for additional fees such as optional fees, the General Property Deposit, et cetera.

How is the amount of nonresident tuition waivers determined?

The amount of the waiver is the difference between the nonresident flat rate tuition amount and the resident flat rate tuition amount.

How will the traditional flat rate structure work for the summer sessions?

Starting with summer 2009, the total coursework taken during the summer will cost 85 percent of what the same amount of coursework would have cost in the long semesters.

So if you take six hours in the first session and three hours in the second session, your bill will be 85 percent of what nine hours would have cost in the previous long semester. This is already true for undergraduates, and will be applied to graduate students in summer 2009.

If students take more hours, will the university be able to offer the classes needed to meet the increased demand?

Yes, retaining faculty and adding additional faculty are top priorities of the university.

Are there financial incentives for students who graduate in four years?

There is a legislative initiative designed to reward graduation on time. The B-On-Time Loan Repayment program provides low-interest loans to financially needy students. The loans are "forgiven" for those undergraduate students who graduate within certain limits. (Contact the Office of Student Financial Services for more information.) Perhaps the greatest incentive for graduating in four years is the amount of money saved by not paying for additional years of college and the income derived from entering the job market sooner.

Additionally, an undergraduate may be eligible for a tuition rebate of up to $1,000 if they graduate in a timely manner. For more information, visit Tuition Rebates.

What is the university's strategy for addressing budget deficits in future years beyond raising tuition?

The student share (tuition) of addressing the deficit is only one part of a three-part strategy. Additional funding must also come from the state and other university sources.

The university will continue to stress the importance of the investment in higher education to the Texas Legislature. The university will continue cost-saving measures. The university will continue to seek additional resources from donors. Ultimately, if additional revenues are not collected, many proposed enhancements to the education experience at the university will not be implemented.

What can students do to help persuade the Texas Legislature to appropriate more money to the university?

While university employees have constraints on advocating for additional state funding, students do not. If students feel strongly about this issue, they should contact their local legislative representatives, attend legislative hearings, write letters or participate in whatever advocacy process they feel appropriate. Resident students have the same right to participation in their government as any other citizen of Texas.

Why does the university continue to build new buildings?

The university is at space capacity. It is the university's goal to reduce the student-faculty ratio. To do this it is necessary to provide classroom, laboratory and office space for new faculty members.

What are the requirements for tuition set asides for financial assistance?

House Bill 3015 authorized the boards of regents to determine the level of tuition increases. The bill requires a minimum of 20 percent set aside on resident undergraduate tuition increases and a minimum of 15 percent set aside on resident graduate or professional tuition increases.

How can students get involved in the tuition-setting process?

Student Government representatives are directly involved in setting tuition at the university, and students can contact their representatives with suggestions. Students should also read the complete Tuition Policy Advisory Committee (TPAC) recommendations and attend the public forums to ask questions and listen to responses. The recommendations and the public forum dates and times can be found in the TPAC section on the Tuition Dollars & Sense Web site.

Have other questions?

  Updated 2020 December 15
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