Elon Musk plans to establish technology-focused university in Austin, Texas

Tech mogul Elon Musk is set to establish a technology-focused university in Austin, Texas, as revealed in recent tax filings related to his latest charity, The Foundation. Musk, who relocated to Texas during the pandemic, is allocating approximately $100 million for the university’s initial funding.

The institution will commence with a primary and secondary school emphasising STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) education. The long-term vision, outlined in an application for tax-exempt status submitted to the Internal Revenue Service, involves expanding to create a university dedicated to high-level education.

The university is projected to feature an experienced faculty, a traditional curriculum, and hands-on learning experiences, including simulations, case studies, and fabrication/design projects. The application, filed in October 2022 and approved in March, indicates plans to seek accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

This initiative isn’t Musk’s first venture into education. Roughly a decade ago, he established Ad Astra on SpaceX’s California campus for his children and the offspring of SpaceX employees. Following Musk’s move to Texas in 2020, the school also relocated.

Austin, home to the University of Texas’s main campus, has become a hub for higher-education innovation. Musk’s STEM school anticipates an initial class of 50 students and is actively recruiting an executive director, teacher, and administrator, as indicated in the tax-exempt application.

The Musk Foundation, which received a $2.2-billion worth of Tesla stock in 2022, made a nearly $100-million donation to seed The Foundation. Elon Musk, currently the world’s richest person, is concurrently developing a town outside Austin, featuring recreational facilities, a school, and subsidised housing for Tesla, SpaceX, and Boring Co employees, pending approval.

The proposed municipality would span thousands of acres acquired by Musk in recent years. Representatives for Musk have not yet responded to requests for comment on the university initiative.