Online summer classes will have increased capacity and reduced tuition rates, UT President Gregory Fenves and Interim President Designate Jay Hartzell announced in a Universitywide email.

The new summer tuition rate is set at 50% of the spring and fall semester tuition rates instead of the typical 85%. The University also added 25 summer courses with an additional capacity of 2,000 seats. 

The University announced that it will return to its original pass/fail grading policy for the upcoming summer and fall semesters.

“We recognize that you are balancing these changes with stress and uncertainty at home, even as you continue your studies,” Fenves said in the email. “We are making these decisions with your well-being in mind and will keep you updated as we work to maintain our standards of excellence in teaching and research, and advance the University.”

Nonresidents and Graduate and professional education tuition rates remain unchanged at 85% of fall and spring rates.

“The University will be supporting these students through tuition assistance in targeted graduate areas where a department may have limited resources,” Fenves said in the email. 

Fenves said the University will continue to fill and offer more student employee positions, so long as they can be done remotely and “contribute to the core mission of the University.” 

He also announced faculty will no longer receive recurring merit raises as the University reviews its finances for 2020-2021. The University introduced a new policy to only approve expenditures “essential to the core functions of the University.” The Provost or Senior Vice President will review whether to eliminate nonsalary expenditures larger than $100,000, and nonessential expenditures below that threshold will be eliminated.

This story was corrected to fix the tutition rates of nonresidents and graduate students. The Texan regrets this error.