New university in Austin now accepting applicants for inaugural class, offering scholarships

The University of Austin (UATX) said it was now accepting applicants for its inaugural freshman class.

Editor’s note: The above video shows KXAN’s morning headlines for Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Austin (UATX) said it was now accepting applicants for its inaugural freshman class.

“Students will be fully immersed in a classical college learning experience consisting of the discovery, transmission, and preservation of knowledge, while also learning how to build, create, and innovate for the future,” UATX said.

The school said each enrolled member of the incoming Fall 2024 class would be offered a Founders Scholarship, which covers the full cost of undergraduate tuition for four years at the institution. 

According to UATX, Niall Ferguson, a co-founder of the school, will teach classes in its inaugural year. 

"As a founder and trustee of the University of Austin, I feel strongly committed to establishing a unique pedagogical culture on our campus,” said Ferguson. “Academic freedom needs to work in practice as well as to exist on paper, as it does in our constitution. That means an entirely different kind of classroom atmosphere, where both professors and students feel free to speak their minds."  

UATX’s website said it was a nonprofit dedicated to founding a university, and it was currently in the process of applying for accreditation of the institution and its programs.

According to UATX, its Fall 2024 undergraduate program was pending State of Texas certification.