Earn Your Degree, Debt-Free!

UT Permian Basin is pleased to offer its students an unprecedented educational opportunity! You can earn an online undergraduate degree from UTPB for free! A college education is the gateway to a more rewarding life and career for countless people. We’re helping make a degree a reality for eligible Falcons through Falcon Free scholarships.

What does Falcon Free do?

  • Covers 100% of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees for eligible students
  • Enables you to earn your degree with no loans and no debt
  • Applies to first-time freshmen, transfer students, and current Falcons alike

Review Your Scholarship Options Now

Choose the Falcon Free program option that best applies to you:

At UTPB, you can earn your degree for free! We believe that a college education is transformative, and money shouldn’t hold you back. That’s why we created the Falcon Free program, a plan that covers the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for most Texas-based UTPB students.

To qualify for Falcon Free, students must meet all these requirements:

  • Have a combined family Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $100,000 or less
  • Be accepted for admission to an on-campus or online undergraduate program and have completed their Financial Aid Checklist(s) by June 1* for students starting in the fall.
  • Be a degree-seeking student that has not completed their first undergraduate degree
  • Be a Texas resident, per state guidelines
  • Remain enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours) each fall and spring semester

Qualifying students may be funded for up to eight semesters of full-time undergraduate enrollment at UTPB. Continuing students must maintain a semester GPA of 2.0 and successfully complete at least 12 hours each semester.

Falcon Free ensures tuition and mandatory fees up to 15 credit hours per semester (fall and spring semesters only) will be paid by a combination of federal, state, and institutional funds. If the combined total of these funds is greater than the tuition and mandatory fee total for the semester (up to 15 credit hours), Falcon Free has been met and no additional grant is awarded.* Examples of funds used to meet Falcon Free include, but are not limited to: Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, TEXAS Grant, tuition waiver/exemptions, institutional scholarships, etc. Falcon Free will not cover room/board, course-related fees, books, supplies, or miscellaneous expenses.

*This guarantee is subject to change without notice based on the annual funding levels provided to the university by the federal and state education agencies.

Falcon Free FAQs:

Are online students eligible for Falcon Free?
Yes! As long as you meet the other Falcon Free eligibility requirements, you’ll be able to earn your online degree debt-free.

Is there a separate application for Falcon Free?
No. Once the student files the FAFSA, the Financial Aid Office will identify all eligible students.

If I am eligible for Falcon Free, will I continue to receive it for the remaining semesters?
The Financial Aid Office will identify all eligible recipients based on the academic year’s FAFSA. Eligible recipients will be reviewed if they complete the FAFSA by the deadline for each academic year and meet all program eligibility requirements listed above.

If I am eligible for additional grant funds under Falcon Free, when will it be applied to my account?
Review for Falcon Free is done each semester after total enrollment is confirmed. This typically happens at the mid-point of the semester. If a Falcon Free eligible student had any remaining tuition and mandatory fees not covered by scholarship and grant funds, additional grant funds will be awarded at that time.

Are there academic requirements to remain eligible for Falcon Free?
Yes. Students must meet UTPB’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements.

Is Falcon Free available to both dependent and independent students?
Falcon Free is based on financial need eligibility, not on dependency status.

Is Falcon Free available in the summer?
No. The program is only for enrollment in the fall and spring semesters.

The HSI-STEM program, part of UTPB’s Falcon Free initiative, covers tuition costs and mandatory fees for Hispanic undergraduates majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Hispanic students can apply this scholarship to the following online undergraduate UTPB programs:

The University of Texas Permian Basin is the premier higher education institution in the region, providing higher education to the population and workforce development to local industry. The present enrollment of Hispanic and other low-income students in STEM disciplines at UTPB is just 67.3%, and the retention rate of such students is 62.9%.

To qualify for HSI-STEM, you must be a U.S. citizen, be admitted to an online or on-campus UTPB undergraduate program in a STEM field, and submit a completed FAFSA by the deadline (July 15 for the fall semester or November 15 for the spring semester) for priority processing. Funding is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis through a combination of federal, state, and institutional funds.

*Examples of funds used to meet the Falcon Free program include, but are not limited to: Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, TEXAS Grant, tuition waiver/exemptions, institutional scholarships, etc. The Falcon Free program does not cover room/board, course-related fees, books, supplies, or miscellaneous expenses.

This guarantee is subject to change without notice based on the annual funding levels provided to the university by the federal and state education agencies.

Falcon Free Requirements

Our general Falcon Free requirements are listed below. Select one of our scholarship options above for specific eligibility requirements.

  • Applicants must use funds to pursue their first undergraduate degree.
  • Applicants must submit their FAFSA/TASFA by the respective semester deadline (July 15 for fall, November 15 for spring for priority processing).
  • Recipients must remain enrolled full-time: a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.
  • Recipients must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements while enrolled.

Get Started

  1. Apply to UT Permian Basin.
    Submit your application to the undergraduate program of your choice.
  2. Fill out your FAFSA/TAFSA.
    We can get you scholarships and keep your info safe.
  3. Submit your documents.
    Don’t worry, you’ll be automatically considered for Falcon Free!
  4. Watch for an award letter.
    You can find your letter in your student portal, email, or in the mail.
  5. Accept your award.
    New students must accept their award within two weeks of admission, and continuing students must have their financial aid checklist completed by June 1 for the fall term. Funds are first-come, first-served, so don’t miss out!

How to Accept Your Award

Priority for funding will be given to new students that complete their financial aid checklist items by June 1. After June 1, any remaining funding will be prioritized based on the completion of the checklist items.

If funds are available for students starting in the Spring term, they must be registered for Orientation and have their financial aid accepted by December 15.

Continuing students must be registered for at least 12 hours and have their financial aid checklist completed by June 1 for the Fall term. For the spring term, continuing students must be enrolled in 12 hours by December 16. Please note 12 hours is a minimum number of hours; we recommend students take 15, if possible.

Priority for funding will be given to continuing students that complete their financial aid checklist items by June 1. After June 1, any remaining funding will be prioritized based on the completion of the checklist items.

You Must Act Now!

Hurry! Falcon Free funds are limited and are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t wait to secure your scholarship. You must be accepted for admission and complete your FAFSA before you qualify. Claim your free education today!

  • FAFSA Fall Submission deadline for priority processing: July 15
  • FAFSA Spring Submission deadline for priority processing: November 15

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