AUSTIN — The University of Texas System approved the plan Thursday to provide tuition-free education at all nine institutions for undergraduate students from families earning $100,000 or less a year, beginning next fall.

Students whose families make less than $100,000 annually get free tuition and waived fees at any of the academic universities in the University of

Texas students whose families earn less than $100,000 in annual income will soon be eligible for free tuition at every University of Texas System school, administrators announced Wednesday. The plan expands existing "promise programs" at the system's nine academic institutions,

Tuition and mandatory fees would be completely covered for qualifying students under the ‘Promise Plus’ program

Once approved, the campuses will receive $35 million, and this will make the UT System the first in Texas and one of a few in the country to offer the “sweeping financial benefit” for students, according to the news release. The University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas at Dallas are part of the UT System.

The University of Texas is taking significant steps to enhance access to higher education by expanding its free tuition program.

The University of Texas System announced Wednesday it will expand its free tuition program for lower-income families to include all families making $100,000 or less a year.

An additional 3,000 students at the University of Texas at Austin will have their tuition fully paid for or "deeply discounted" next school year, following action taken by the University of Texas System Board of Regents this week.