How do I get financial aid at UT?
Submit your FAFSA or TASFA for the right academic year, then check My Financial Aid for anything UT still needs. UT’s FAFSA school code is 003658.
Scholarships have their own window. Continuing students apply through LASSO, and One Stop’s recurring schedule lists a November opening and a March 15 close, so check the award year when you open it.
In this guide
What do I do first?
- Choose the academic year you need help paying for.
- Complete that year’s FAFSA or TASFA and the documents UT requests.
- Check the deadline for each scholarship you want.
- Open My Financial Aid and finish any outstanding tasks.
- Check My Tuition Bill for payment or attendance confirmation.
Submit FAFSA each year. New students use admissions and MyStatus for general scholarship consideration; continuing students use the Continuing & Transfer Student Scholarship Application through LASSO. Individual awards may have their own forms.
What do the aid statuses mean?
What do you need to do next?
Choose the task or status you see in My Financial Aid.
6 options
I need to apply for aid
Submit FAFSA or TASFA for the year you need. UT’s FAFSA school code is 003658.
- Check the year and its deadlines.
- Submit the application and documents UT requests.
- Check My Financial Aid for anything still missing.
My aid says Projected
You may need to finish a task before UT can pay that aid.
- Select the right academic year.
- Open the outstanding requirements.
- Complete the requested task and check the status again.
My aid says Awarded
That status needs no extra action for the aid line. Check when the money is scheduled to arrive; loans can still need a separate acceptance.
- Read the type and amount of aid.
- Check the scheduled payment date.
- For a loan, read the acceptance instructions and repayment terms.
Aid covers tuition, or my bill is zero
You still need to follow My Tuition Bill’s payment or attendance-confirmation step before your deadline.
- Open My Tuition Bill.
- Choose the financial-aid or zero-bill option that applies.
- Check the message confirming registration is complete.
I’m a new student looking for scholarships
Incoming students use the admissions application and scholarship questions in MyStatus. Individual scholarships may have extra requirements.
- Complete your admissions application and MyStatus tasks.
- Submit the appropriate FAFSA or TASFA.
- Check each named scholarship’s deadline.
I’m a continuing student looking for scholarships
Use the Continuing & Transfer Student Scholarship Application through LASSO. One Stop’s recurring schedule lists November opening and March 15 closing; check the award year when you open it.
- Follow One Stop’s link to LASSO.
- Choose the correct application and year.
- Complete scholarship requirements as well as your annual FAFSA or TASFA.
Select the right year under Financial Information. Check both the aid offer and when the money is scheduled to arrive.
Which money do I have to repay?
| Type | What it means for your budget |
|---|---|
| Grants | Usually don’t need repayment; check the award conditions |
| Scholarships | Usually don’t need repayment; check renewal rules |
| Loans | Borrowed money you’ll repay; an offer still needs acceptance |
| Work-study | Pay you earn through a qualifying job, not cash paid upfront |
UT’s instructions give Federal Direct Student Loans a separate acceptance step. Read the loan terms before accepting.
Does Texas Advance Commitment cover my tuition?
| Family income | Help for eligible students |
|---|---|
| Up to $100,000 | Tuition covered with grants and scholarships |
| Over $100,000 through $125,000 | Some help toward tuition |
Income alone isn’t enough. The rules also include Texas residency, financial need, FAFSA or TASFA, your first bachelor’s degree and enrollment and renewal conditions.
The program uses existing grants first and adds university help as needed, so your offer may not have a line called Texas Advance Commitment. Summer isn’t covered by this program.
If you plan to take fewer than 12 hours, ask One Stop how your aid changes before dropping a class.
What about housing, food and books?
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Housing and food | $15,420–$15,580 |
| Transport | $1,840 |
| Books and course materials | $724 |
| Personal costs | $3,666 |
| Total before tuition | $21,650–$21,810 |
Tuition coverage doesn’t pay all of those costs. Compare your actual housing agreement and the rest of your aid before choosing a place.
A credited payment can still be hard to produce before aid arrives
Two final rent installments prepaid at an illustrative $1,200 each require $2,400 early, even though they don’t add rent expense. A two-installment deposit ties up another kind of cash; a recurring guarantor waiver is a charge you lose.
Match aid disbursement and family-support dates to the signing schedule, not just the annual total. The guarantor and cash comparison gives published alternatives and the questions still needed for your application.
When is my registration finished?
Follow the payment or financial-aid option on My Tuition Bill. Even if the balance is zero, you may still need to confirm attendance before your deadline.
An expected refund can’t pay rent until it arrives. Put its expected date beside your lease payments, and ask One Stop about any gap before the bill is due.
Questions
Does $125,000 family income mean free tuition?
No. Eligible students at or below $100,000 can get tuition covered; those above $100,000 through $125,000 can get some tuition help. Other requirements still apply.
Is work-study an upfront payment?
No. You earn that money through a qualifying job. An award doesn’t place you in a job or pay the whole amount immediately.
Endowment funding reaches several aid programs
UT’s endowment support enters several campus functions and aid programs. The AUF schedule’s Texas Advance Commitment line is one funding source among scholarships, fellowships and assistantships.
Your tuition bill, grant offer and full housing commitment give the amounts to plan around. The oil-to-campus money trail follows the institutional funding behind them.
UT System FY2025 AUF report, Appendix G · Research cutoff October 30, 2026.
A borrower median needs a borrower share
In seekUT’s Texas Computer Science BSCS debt group, 23.8% borrowed and the borrower median was $22,100. English BA had a 49.9% borrower share and a $24,600 borrower median. Those 2025-dollar figures cover first-time college entrants and loans taken at UT System institutions; Parent PLUS and loans at other institutions are excluded.
The earnings and debt investigation keeps borrower shares beside the loan amounts and explains the different federal measures. Use your own aid offer, expected borrowing and repayment terms to budget the amount you will owe.
seekUT Texas data and definitions · UT System Texas earnings and loan workbook · Research cutoff November 1, 2026.
How we got this
The aid, scholarship and Texas Advance Commitment rules were checked on One Stop on October 27, 2026. The living-cost figures are UT’s fall-and-spring 2026–27 estimates for full-time undergraduates living on or off campus; living with parents has a different housing budget.
Texas Advance Commitment’s page describes its housing scholarship using 2025–26 amounts. We haven’t deducted that older example from a 2026–27 housing budget. Ask One Stop how enrollment changes affect your own award.
Sources and dates
- UT’s financial-aid overviewChecked
- UT’s aid and scholarship applicationsChecked
- My Financial Aid helpChecked
- Texas Advance CommitmentChecked
- UT’s cost-of-attendance budgetChecked
- UT’s types of aidChecked
- UT’s tuition-bill instructionsChecked