TAMIU’s Dusty Promise to Students has Delivered $26.7M in Free Aid

As the Fall Semester gets underway  Monday, Aug. 26 at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) students and their families are optimistic about the promise of a brighter future.

For many that promise is made certain with TAMIU’s Dusty Promise, an assistance program that since its 2008 launch has helped students receive over $26.7 million in free aid to attend TAMIU.

TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz said that’s because promises made at TAMIU are promises kept.

“For the past 16 years, the Dusty Promise has helped over 1,000 students to attend TAMIU. We’re big believers in the promises that can be realized through higher education, but we’re bigger believers in keeping our promise,” Dr. Arenaz said.

“Through the Dusty Promise, we pledged to provide enough scholarships and grants to pay tuition and mandatory fees for all eligible students.  Today’s Dusty Promise has been expanded to families whose income is up to $100,000, enabling us to assist a greater number of students and their families…and so, our Dusty Promise is worth exploration,” Dr. Arenaz said.

Eligible and qualified students for the Dusty Promise are:

• Texas residents with an adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less
• First Time Freshman or new Transfer Student admitted by March 15
• Financial Aid application (FAFSA or TASFA) submitted by March 15.

For those students enrolled with the Dusty Promise, there’s been a big return on their investment, Arenaz explained.

“Of those helped, 474 have received a bachelor's degree and 87 a master’s degree.  Of those helped by the program since its start, 885 are from Webb County and 227 are from outside Webb County.  These Dusty Promise recipients are advancing their families and careers, contributing to their community, their region, the State of Texas, and beyond,” he said.

In a reflection of how the Dusty Promise had kept pace with the times, TAMIU’s longtime director of Financial Aid Laura Elizondo observed how average awards have increased.

“For example, when the Dusty Promise started in 2008, the average award was $8,862.  In contrast, the average award for the 2023-24 school year was $13,694,” she said. 

While last Fall the University welcomed 410 Dusty Promise students into TAMIU classes, Arenaz said he hopes more students and their families will consider the University’s Dusty Promise to them. 

“We keep our promises and we deliver our mission of higher education every day.  We encourage families and their students to realize their own promises at TAMIU,” Arenaz said.

Arenaz said he’s pleased that higher education partner and Laredo College president Dr. Minita Ramírez also has a Promise program in place at LC.

“Dr. Ramírez helped lead our Dusty Promise development here, and we’re working with her and LC to ensure that in the near future Palomino Promise students can easily transfer into our Dusty Promise,” he noted.

The Dusty Promise is designed to cover tuition and mandatory fees by first utilizing federal, state and institutional aid, like Federal Pell and TEXAS Grants, scholarships and other gift aid. The Dusty Promise then covers any remaining tuition and mandatory fees not covered by these programs. 

Full criteria for eligibility and additional details, including an online FAQ, are available at go.tamiu.edu/promise

Registration for Fall 2024 at TAMIU is now underway. The first day of classes is Monday, Aug. 26, 2024.

Explore Fall at TAMIU on the dedicated 2024 Fall TAMIU Preview website at https://go.tamiu.edu/fallpreview

View the registration schedule here: https://www.tamiu.edu/registrar/registration

To transfer to TAMIU, contact the Office of Recruitment and School Relations at enroll@tamiu.edu, phone 956.326.2270, or click on https://www.tamiu.edu/prospect/transfer.shtml

Visit the Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration. 

More of the University’s story is available on its social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube and online at tamiu.edu.