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.

Texas A&M System officials pointed to their own free-tuition programs across schools. Each university has its own income requirements. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, for example, provides such aid to students whose families make less than $125,000 a year. At Prairie View A&M, the threshold is $30,000 for tuition help.

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.

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

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.