FORTY ACRES SCHOLARS PROGRAM

The Name

How the Forty Acres Scholars Program Got Its Name 

Founded in 2011, the Forty Acres Scholars Program was named after a well-known nickname for the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. Although much more expansive today (the main UT campus is 431 acres and there are thousands more beyond that), the original tract of land set aside by the state of Texas for the university was 40 acres.

"Those 40 acres formed a square with “College Hill” at its center. Today, that square is defined by 21st Street, Guadalupe Street, 24th Street, and Speedway, and The Tower sits at the top of College Hill. A 40-acre square is a quarter of a mile along each side, so if you walk the perimeter of the original campus, you will have walked a mile." Read the full story here.

The term "Forty Acres" has since become commonplace among Longhorns everywhere and serves as an affectionate nickname for the Austin campus.