The grant benefits both undergraduates and graduate students in the university's McCombs School of Business, Cockrell School of Engineering, Jackson School of Geosciences and College of Natural Sciences. One of the largest components of the donation is a $40,000 contribution to the GeoFORCE Texas Program, which rewards outstanding low-income students from diverse South Texas school districts with the chance to travel the country and learn about careers in the geosciences. The program is expanding into Houston this year.

With this contribution, Shell has given the university more than $19 million in gifts and research grants.