The University of Austin announces historic $100 Million Donation

Funds to be used to keep the university tuition-free

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Austin (UATX) proudly announces its receipt of a $100 million donation, UATX's largest donation since its founding in 2021. Jeffrey Yass, co-founder of the Susquehanna International Group of Companies and prior UATX donor, established the gift through a recommendation to Vanguard Charitable, with an initial $50 million already received by UATX and the remaining $50 million to be received over the next four years.

"We are so thankful to Jeff for this very generous gift," said UATX President Carlos Carvalho. "Mr. Yass' generosity launches our $300 million campaign to ensure a future in which higher education is liberated from profligate spending and instead focuses on the true priority of educating students to meet the demands of a dynamic marketplace."

The historic gift will allow UATX to remain both tuition-free and without government funding. With this incredibly strong financial foundation, UATX can focus on providing its students with a world-class education that empowers them with marketable skills and positions them for long-term success. In turn, those students, who benefit from attending a world-class university without incurring significant debt, are free to pursue professional fields in which they are truly passionate and are also encouraged to donate back to UATX.

"I'm extremely impressed by the vision that founders Niall Ferguson, Pano Kanelos, Joe Lonsdale, Bari Weiss, and President Carvalho brought to life with UATX and believe that a paradigm shift needs to take place in funding higher education," said Mr. Yass. "The gift is intended to kickstart a virtuous cycle: UATX will prepare its students to become the next generation's leading entrepreneurs, innovators, scientists, and philanthropists. In turn, these successful graduates will support future generations of students, ultimately making UATX tuition-free. This creates unprecedented accountability and alignment of incentives. The university can only achieve financial sustainability if it delivers genuine value to its students. If we fail them, they won't have the means or motivation to give back, and the model breaks. This interdependency – where the institution's survival depends entirely on student success – will ensure UATX's legacy and could revolutionize how we think about higher education."

About UATX:

The University of Austin (UATX) is a new private, nonprofit, nonsectarian university in Austin, Texas, dedicated to the fearless pursuit of truth. Its innovative undergraduate curriculum combines the rich inheritances of the past with the most compelling ideas and initiatives of the present. The University of Austin's inaugural freshman class began its journey in the fall of 2024. Learn more at uaustin.org.

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SOURCE The University of Austin