Beginning with new undergraduate students for the fall 2020 term, the Connecticut Commitment promises free tuition for up to four years (eight terms) of full-time undergraduate study for entering freshmen from qualifying families with typical assets and household incomes of $50,000 or less, and free tuition for up to two years (four terms) of full-time undergraduate study for entering transfer students with typical assets and household incomes of $50,000 or less.

The answer is threefold: first, to sharpen the message to prospective students, particularly those from first generation and low-income families, that UConn is affordable for them and to encourage them to apply. Second, to enhance affordability. Third, to inspire and energize our base of supporters to give to a cause that is transformative for their university and its students.

Beginning fall 2020, automatic consideration is given to every freshman and transfer applicant who:

• Is pursuing their first undergraduate degree
• Qualifies as a Connecticut (in-state) resident for UConn undergraduate tuition purposes
• Completes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Institutional Financial Aid Application for Students without Legal Immigration Status by the on-time deadline of February 15 annually
• Reports a household income (Family Total Income) of $50,000 or less for the calendar year indicated on the designated aid application
• Demonstrates “unmet financial need” defined as Cost of Attendance (COA) minus Expected Family Contribution (EFC) minus Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG), University Grants, UConn merit scholarships, and Roberta B Willis Scholarships
• Finalizes their full-time (12 or more credit hours) undergraduate class schedule no later than the Fixed Enrollment Date each semester (tenth day of each semester)
• Is enrolled continuously as a full-time undergraduate student (12 or more credit hours)
• Maintains compliance with the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Guidelines

For more details on eligibility, the application process and the definition of terms, please visit our Financial Aid Services page.

It will cost approximately $1 million per entering class, or a total of approximately $4 million a year beginning in year four.

The university’s goal is to fund this new initiative through private philanthropic gifts specifically made by donors for this program.

The UConn Foundation is actively soliciting donations to the program that will fall into one of two categories: gifts that can be spent immediately to fund the program’s costs, and gifts that will be endowed to generate an annual return once invested, which will also help fund the program over the longer term.

Yes. That is why the UConn Foundation will also raise funds that can be spent immediately, in addition to funds that will go into the endowment.

According to the UConn Foundation, providing scholarship support for lower income students is one of the very highest priorities among our donors and there is a consistently high level of interest in supporting efforts that aid students that fall into that category. The Foundation already raises approximately $22 million annually in private philanthropic gifts to support scholarships.

In the short term, enough will need to be raised to cover the initial costs of the program. Over the longer term, the UConn Foundation’s goal is to raise $100 million, allowing the investment income earned from the endowment to fund the program consistently.

Yes.

The university needs a four-year ramp-up period in order to be able to successfully raise the private dollars needed to fund the program, meaning going class by class rather than all at once. Also, current students already have their financial aid packages set, which UConn has budgeted for, and the university does not retroactively adjust student financial aid packages.

Transfer students are part of each new class, or “cohort,” arriving at the university alongside freshmen. Given that, it is logical to treat all qualifying students in every new cohort the same under the program, rather than creating eligibility for some qualifying students in the new class and not others. However, qualifying transfers have two years of eligibility while freshmen have four, as transfer students have a shorter time to degree than freshmen.

Yes.

UConn determined that the costs associated with this dollar threshold could be successfully met through philanthropic giving.

No. About 75% of students whose families earn $50,000 or less a year have all of their tuition covered by various forms of gift aid such as Federal Pell Grant, University Grant, University merit scholarship and/or Roberta Willis Scholarship. For the remaining 25% there is a gap that is not covered with gift aid which varies from student to student. The Connecticut Commitment is erasing that gap and ensuring that these students can attend UConn tuition-free.

No, because we will fund the program through philanthropy rather than state tax or tuition dollars. And offering access to an affordable, high-quality education is central to our mission as a public university.

No. Other students’ financial aid packages will not be affected by the Connecticut Commitment program.

No. UConn plans to fund this program through philanthropic giving.