Co-op expanded course materials scholarships this academic year – The Daily Texan

Support hands-on experiences such as The Daily Texan for generations to come.
19th annual Austin Bat Fest takes flight with local musicians, food
Texas law banning marketing, sale of certain e-cigarette products takes effect
Texas A&M professor arrested for indecent exposure on UT campus  
‘A force beyond belief’: Incoming Longhorn Chloe Childress remembered for joy and service
What to know about the Big Ticket
The University Co-op will expand its student scholarship funding for course materials and textbooks through 2032, starting this school year.
The store voted on the expansion during a January board meeting, with the University Co-op Course Materials Scholarship expanding eligibility for students whose families make an income of up to $125,000 to an increased $150,000. The financial aid program provided $250 of yearly in-store credit for over 7,000 students’ books and materials during the 2024-25 school year. However, with this expansion, the number is expected to increase by around 2,000 students this academic year, said Cheryl Phifer, president and CEO of the Co-op. 
Phifer said the expansion comes from increased revenues at the store, which exceeded original estimates. The Co-op also decided to increase the funds of the scholarship because it anticipates significant revenue from sales made during football season.  
“That was (the financial aid office’s) recommendation, is just to continue to take that aggregated family income up a notch to be able to assist more students and broaden the scope,” Phifer said. “What we really like about that is that it’s just consistent with what we’ve been doing all along. It’s just now expanding it to more students.” 
KyLee Hill, an applied movement science sophomore, said they feel like their income status is in a state of “in between,” where they do not qualify for financial aid. They were pleasantly surprised to see the course materials scholarship in their financial aid package, they said. 
“I’m one of those people that’s in between the brackets for not receiving financial aid at all and then receiving at least a little bit,” Hill said. “As someone that’s never received a grant before … it’s gonna be helpful for a lot of people that are in that in-between.” 
Hill said they already used around $75 from the scholarship toward textbooks for Visual and Performing Arts and kinesiology classes, along with bluebooks used for exams. They have extra funds to use in case of a last-minute emergency, Hill said.
Although the UT Office of Financial Aid disperses this monetary assistance, Phifer said she hopes extra funding provides students more financial security to succeed in the classroom, especially those who may have other expenses, like housing. 
“We were seeing students make the choice to defer buying their course materials until later in the semester, and in many cases, that was negatively impacting them in the classroom,” Phifer said. “We want to make sure that students are having what they need to be successful in the classroom, and these course material scholarships help with that.” 
Hill said they had never received a grant before this semester, but because of the scholarship, they have less to stress about. 
“Off-campus rent is insane in West Campus,” Hill said. “It’s been helpful with getting groceries. I’m less worried about where I’m gonna get food.” 
Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

source