Stock gift to NCTC creates Red River Promise fund for Cooke County students
Karen Budlong Simpson named the scholarship fund for her mother, Betty Kirby Budlong, according to the college.
Cooke County students in North Central Texas College's Red River Promise program now have a scholarship fund named for Betty Kirby Budlong, the college says. NCTC says the fund supports Promise students from the county's school districts.
According to the college's announcement, Karen Budlong Simpson created the Betty Kirby Budlong Red River Promise Scholarship Fund by donating stock to the NCTC Foundation in honor of her mother. NCTC says Simpson and her brother, Garth Budlong, had already set up the Betty Kirby Budlong Scholarship at the college in 2019.
A claim that NCTC established a scholarship in the name of Grant W. Simpson Jr. could not be independently verified. The college's documented announcement identifies the Budlong fund.
For a student, Promise is a last-dollar program, according to the college's FAQ. Federal and state aid and other scholarships are applied first. Promise then covers the remaining eligible tuition and general-use fees for up to two years or 60 credit hours. Books, supplies, transportation and housing are not covered. Each student also works with a success coach.
NCTC imposes no family-income ceiling and no GPA requirement for the first semester, although participating universities may set their own income and academic requirements. According to NCTC, students must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA, complete 12 credit hours each fall and spring, and renew required financial-aid and scholarship applications to keep their eligibility.
The program launched in 2022 and serves Cooke County, Montague County and Graham ISD in Young County. It is part of a wider rural-college effort. Greater Texas Foundation reports that it awarded more than $3 million in 2021 to The Commit Partnership to replicate Promise programs at NCTC, Grayson College and Tyler Junior College.
NCTC reported 199 students in its first Promise cohort and described that as a 67% increase in high-school graduates attending the college. In an August 2025 update, the college said 42% of Promise Scholars were the first in their families to attend college, and that most worked while pursuing their degrees.
in the first Red River Promise cohort at North Central Texas College
NCTC described the first cohort as a 67% increase in high-school graduates attending the college.
NCTC's Centennial Campaign set a goal of raising $25 million in private gifts for a Red River Promise endowment by fall 2026. The college's giving page lists $13,500 as the starting contribution for a donor-named endowed scholarship. The $25 million figure is a campaign target, not a total raised.
Dallas College describes its own Promise program differently. It covers tuition for up to three years or completion of an associate degree, whichever comes first, and includes textbooks with tuition, according to the college.
Two regional Promise programs, two different deals
NCTC Red River Promise
Covers remaining tuition and general-use fees after other aid, for up to two years or 60 credit hours. Books, supplies, transportation and housing are not covered.
Dallas College Promise
Covers tuition for up to three years or completion of an associate degree, whichever comes first. Textbooks are included with tuition.
UT Arlington says Red River Promise awards do not automatically transfer from NCTC. Students must complete an associate degree before enrolling at UTA and meet the university's admissions, financial-aid deadlines and financial eligibility requirements.
Join the conversation