CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It just got a lot easier to pay for school at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
The threshold to receive aid increased by $65,000 for a household's income, and current students are already seeing the benefits, "It takes a lot of stress off of having to worry about how I'm going to pay for my education," said Elizabeth Rubio.
Dr. Kelly Miller, University President, was just as excited as the students about this change, "Today was really special because we got to announce a change in our Islander Guarantee program. The Islander Guarantee is a program for Pell-eligible students who we want to make sure that their tuition and fees are fully covered."
Miller made the announcement at Island Day on Saturday. The threshold for the Islander Guarantee program is now a household income of $125,000, up from $60,000.
That means first generation students, like Elizabeth Rubio, can focus more on their studies, "It definitely is a little intimidating not having somebody in my family that I can ask for advice. It's already stressful enough going through that for the first time, but having the financial side of it covered definitely takes a huge weight off of my shoulders."
This expansion from $60,000 to $125,000 is the second during Dr. Miller's tenure, "They are going to be able to be very successful and if money is what's standing in their way, we're going to help them make that burden go away." The Islander Guarantee program began in 2008 with a $30,000 threshold.
To qualify for the program, students must be Pell-eligible, a Texas resident, and have a 2.5 GPA. The Pell Grant is federally awarded based on individual need.
Andy Benoit, Vice President for Enrollment Management, wants to ensure that students' financial needs are being met, "This allows us to be able to look at the need gap that our students have. As far as what they get when we apply their Pell Grant, any kind of grants from the state, anything like that, and that amount of money that's unmet."
This is Rubio's second year in the program. She's studying cybersecurity with dreams of joining the FBI and later owning her own business. She took part in Island Day as a member of the pep band, and remembers when she first came to campus, "It's definitely a refreshing feeling, really, to know that I was in their shoes. I was just amazed at being able to show them, 'Hey, this is what we're about and this is the sense of community and family we have.' It's the greatest feeling really."
The Islander Guarantee Program's expansion has set a new standard. The Island University now has the highest threshold for financial aid out of all public Texas universities.
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