THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS P. O. Box 830688 Richardson, Texas 75083-0688

News Release

Students from Mexico With Financial Need
May Qualify for Tuition Break Under UTD Program

RICHARDSON, Texas (Oct. 14, 2002) - Under a pilot program implemented this fall, a limited number of students from Mexico who demonstrate financial need may enroll in The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and pay a tuition rate equal to that paid by Texas residents - a savings of nearly half of the costs paid by other out-of-state students.

The program is an extension of one originally adopted by the state in 1987, which gave similar tuition breaks to Mexican nationals attending state colleges and universities along the Texas-Mexico border. Later, the Pilot Program for Enrolling Students from Mexico (PPESM) was extended to state universities in other parts of Texas.

"While the pilot program is not new to Texas, it is new to UTD," said Rodolfo Hernandez Guerrero, director of UTD's Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies. "This welcoming of Mexican scholars to UTD dovetails nicely with a growing, multi-faceted relationship that has evolved between the university and Mexico."

Among the many initiatives undertaken by UTD in regard to Mexico is the development of extensive exchange programs with Mexican universities for students, faculty and staff, as well as the creation of other projects to promote research, education and understanding among the two nations and peoples.

Emblematic of the special relationship between UTD and Mexico, the university was the site of a meeting in August 2000 between then-Presidential candidate and Texas governor George W. Bush and then-President-elect of Mexico Vicente Fox to discuss future relationships between the two countries.

Under state guidelines, up to two students per 1,000 of enrollment at UTD - or a total of 26 students - may benefit from the pilot program. To date, three students have received such benefits.

"UTD is a high-quality research university with a diverse student body that welcomes serious scholars from many cultures and backgrounds," said Hernandez. "We want to get the word out that UTD is making an effort to attract outstanding students from Mexico, including those with a financial need. Under our new pilot program, a first-rate education is available to such students at very affordable rates."

To be eligible to participate in the Pilot Program for Enrolling Students from Mexico, prospective students must:

• Be a citizen of Mexico.
• Meet the admission requirements of the university and the program in which he or she enrolls.
• Enroll on a full-time basis.
• Show financial need, based on program guidelines.
  

Additional information about the Pilot Program for Enrolling Students from Mexico may be obtained from the Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies at UTD, (972) 883-6401 or ppesm@utdallas.edu.

For additional information about the center or the lecture series, please visit the Web site at http://www.utdallas.edu/research/cusms/.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor ®, enrolls more than 7,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university's Web site at www.utdallas.edu.