Financial aid •
University of Texas, Arlington financial aid: a complete guide
Read all about financial aid at the University of Texas, Arlington, including scholarships, loans, and grants.
The University of Texas, Arlington is the largest university in North Texas and the second-largest in the University of Texas System. UTA is home to more than 35,000 undergraduate students pursuing degrees in one of the school’s more than 180 programs.
The school is highly diverse, with students from more than 100 countries! It’s also rated as a top research school by the Carnegie Foundation.
If you’re thinking about attending UTA but aren’t sure how you’ll pay tuition, here’s what you need to know.
A glance at the University of Texas, Arlington
The University of Texas, Arlington is a major research university located in Dallas-Forth Worth. It offers state-of-the-art facilities for tens of thousands of students.
Thanks to its central location, students can enjoy 2 vibrant cities: Dallas and Fort Worth, within very short drives and access to 2 major airports so that they can travel further across Texas or the US. Those who want to stay local can enjoy the more than 420 acres of campus and more than 100 educational and recreational buildings.
While at UTA, students can choose from one of the school’s 180+ undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs, studying subjects such as accounting, aerospace engineering, architecture, art, economics, education, history, music, nursing, theatre, and more.
Outside of class, students can join one of the more than 300 student organizations and participate in a vibrant student community, thanks to the more than 10,000 students who live on or adjacent to campus. Volunteerism is a major part of life at UTA, with students, faculty, and staff completing roughly 680,000 hours of volunteering for the community each year.
When they’re not studying or helping their local community, students can also attend one of the school’s many NCAA sporting events. UTA has Division I teams in numerous sports, including baseball, basketball, and tennis. Ranking: 288th nationally Size: 35,064 undergraduates Demographics: 39% male, 61% female Tuition: $12,208 for in-state students, $27,494 for out-of-state students Acceptance rate: 80% Average GPA of accepted student: 3.50 Key dates and deadlines (2022):
Application: February 14
Financial aid: January 15
A look at scholarships for the University of Texas, Arlington
For any student looking for a way to pay for college, the best thing you can do is apply for and earn one or more scholarships.
A scholarship is a cash reward that you can use to pay for college and related educational expenses. Unlike loans and some other forms of aid, you don’t have to worry about paying them back once you graduate. They’re like free money to spend on college.
UTA offers more than $30 million in scholarships to students each academic year. The school’s financial aid website outlines the various financial aid programs that students can qualify for. Some awards, like the Maverick Recognition Scholarship, award small amounts, up to $1,000 each year. Others, like the National Merit Scholarship, can award as much as $32,500 each year.
Students can submit a single scholarship application using the school’s MavScholarShop portal. This portal lists the different programs available and helps students find scholarships they qualify for.
You can be eligible for awards based on many factors, including your grades, athletic prowess, extracurricular activities, and more.
After completing UTA’s scholarship application process, you should set your sights on other scholarships. There are many community groups, local organizations, and businesses that have scholarship programs that you can apply to. These awards can range from small to large, but every bit helps.
If you look carefully, you can find scholarships for almost everything you can think of!
For more information on which scholarships you can apply for and how Mos can help, check out our financial aid tips and tricks.
Student loans
For most people, savings and scholarships alone won’t be enough to pay for the cost of college. If you find yourself in that position, the next best place to look for college funds is a student loan.
Student loans let you borrow money to invest in yourself by paying for an education. However, remember that you’re borrowing money. You’ll have to pay back whatever you borrow, plus interest, once you graduate or leave school.
UT Arlington’s financial aid website has some useful resources for students who want to learn more about their loan options while at the school.
For most people, the best loans available are Federal Direct Loans. These loans come from the US government in 2 forms: subsidized and unsubsidized.
With a subsidized loan, the government pays the interest while you’re in school. That means when you graduate, you’ll only owe the amount that you borrowed (and it will then start building interest). With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts building up right away, so your balance will be higher when you graduate.
Another benefit of these loans is that there are many programs that can make them easier to pay off. For example, you can use an income-based repayment plan to make sure your payments remain affordable. In some cases, you can even qualify for loan forgiveness.
Texans can also take advantage of the College Access Loan (CAL) program. This program is a benefit for Texans who can’t afford higher education and want to study at a school in Texas. Students can use these loans to borrow up to the full cost of attendance of their school.
Once you exhaust your federal and state loan options, the next step is to work with private student lenders. Banks, credit unions, and other businesses offer student loans to people who need help paying for college.
The drawback of private student loans is that they tend to be more expensive than government loans. They also lack perks like income-based repayment, loan forgiveness, and interest subsidization.
For more on student loans, check out our article on how student loans work.
FAFSA
The most important thing any student can do is fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The FAFSA is a universal student aid application. It’s used by the federal government and most schools to make decisions about the scholarships, loans, and grants to offer to you. Most schools don’t look at your FAFSA when deciding whether to admit you, so there’s no harm in filling it out.
You will have to talk to your family and provide a variety of financial information when you fill out the FAFSA. This includes the amount of money you have saved for college as well as things like your family’s annual income.
The government will plug the information on your FAFSA into a complex formula to determine your expected family contribution (EFC) to your college costs. Any cost above your EFC is considered to be your “financial need.”
Schools and the government make decisions about grants, scholarships, and loans based on your financial need. That means you can receive things like Pell Grants and other funding if you have a high level of need. However, keep in mind that schools don’t always meet 100% of their students’ needs, leaving you to find other sources of funding.
You can begin the FAFSA process for the next academic year on October 1. You can submit the form anytime before the end of June of the year you actually attend school. However, Texas has a January 15 deadline, so you should submit the form as soon as you can!
For more information on the FAFSA and its deadlines, you can visit our article covering everything you need to know about the FAFSA.
University of Texas, Arlington financial aid FAQs
Let’s answer a few questions about financial aid at UTA.
What is the University of Texas, Arlington’s cost of attendance?
The cost of attendance for undergraduate students from Texas is $29,956. Of this amount, $12,208 covers tuition, $11,392 goes toward room and board, and the remainder covers other costs.
Out-of-state students at UTA pay an additional $15,286 in tuition, increasing their cost of attendance to $45,242.
How many students pay no tuition at UTA?
Many students at UTA can receive an education without paying any tuition. The school’s Promise Plus endowment covers tuition and fees for up to 4,000 undergraduate students whose family income is $85,000 or less per year.
Overall, about 69% of first-year students receive some amount of need-based aid, with the average award totaling $8,534. The school meets roughly 56% of its students’ financial needs.
Can out-of-state students receive financial aid?
Yes, out-of-state students are eligible to receive financial assistance at the University of Texas, Arlington.
Universities like the University of Texas, Arlington that you might be interested in
If you’re considering the University of Texas, Arlington but aren’t sure it’s right for you, consider these alternatives.
Texas State University
Texas State University is another public university located in the state. Founded in 1899, it is one of the oldest universities in the state, and it is the only university in Texas to call a US president an alumnus.
Like UTA, Texas State is very active when it comes to research. It has a degree program for every student, with more than 200 programs to choose from.
Outside class, students can enjoy the school’s vibrant campus or join one of its more than 400 student organizations.
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University is another public research university. Classified as having “very high research activity,” it is one of only 131 universities and colleges in the world to attain that status.
The school is also home to a diverse student body. It has received Hispanic Serving Institution status with a Hispanic student population of 29.2%.
Located in Lubbock, Texas, the student body of more than 40,000 has access to an exciting campus as well as the nearby city. Students can choose from 150 undergraduate programs and participate in the school’s 450 student organizations.
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M opened in 1876 as the state’s first public university. Today, it boasts a reputation as a research-intensive university prominent in multiple fields, including academics and athletics.
Located in the heart of Texas, students are within a 2-hour drive of Houston, Dallas, and Austin. That means students have access to the university’s large campus and multiple exciting cities.
The university offers more than 130 undergraduate degree programs for students to choose from. Outside of class, students can cheer on the Aggies in NCAA Division I competition or enjoy the school’s more than 1,000 different clubs and organizations.
Conclusion
The University of Texas, Arlington, is one of the largest schools in the UT system. It’s also home to important research and a huge variety of extracurricular activities for students to participate in. If you’re looking to go to a large school where you can try lots of new things and participate in research that can have a big impact on the world, UT Arlington might be the right choice for you.
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