On Nov. 13, Governor Greg Abbott announced that Texas public colleges and universities will not increase their tuition until the year 2027. Abbott attributes this decision to the “significant rising costs due to inflation” in a letter sent to all Texas public universities.
“When inflation and other economic pressures burden household budgets, our public universities must take every step possible to ease the financial burden on our students and their families,” the letter said. “As this tuition freeze expires, I will not support any tuition increase at any public higher education.”
Just last year, Texas lawmakers allocated an additional $700 million to all Texas public universities under House Bill 1 — formerly titled the “For the People Act.” In a mutual exchange for funding, university leaders agreed to keep undergraduate tuition flat for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.
For most Texas universities, the average cost per year for tuition and fees is around $10,261 for in-state students. However, the total cost of attendance — which includes the tuition and fees, books, housing and meal plans — is around $28,724 for just one student. In the 2023-2024 school year, there are 1,591,715 students enrolled at Texas colleges and universities.
Going into the Texas’ 89th legislative session, Abbott has prioritized the affordability of higher education for Texas students and their families.
