With the Texas Legislature beginning its session next month, several organizations and state officials are submitting bills for discussion. One topic backed by Gov. Rick Perry is a proposition to lock in tuition charges for incoming college freshman to counter a year-after-year increase seen throughout the last decade.
According to a study by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, about 78 percent of college undergraduates from four-year universities in Texas were previously enrolled at a two-year institution such as Lone Star College.
"To a certain degree, we do believe that rising tuition at four-year universities plays a role in increasing enrollment at two-year colleges," said Jed Young, LSCS executive director of communications. "More students see the value of attending a college close to home and then transferring."
With partnering universities at LSC–University Park, students are able to continue their education on-site, he said.
From 2003–12, the average charges for full-time students enrolled in Texas public universities increased by about 90 percent. Before 2003, the legislature retained the authority to set statewide tuition rates. However, the 78th legislature gave this power—with no maximum limit—to the governing boards of public universities to vary tuition rates based on different programs, course levels and academic periods, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
"Higher education must find ways to bend the cost curve for students, parents and taxpayers if we are to position Texas to be nationally and internationally competitive," said Dominic Chavez, director of external relations with THECB.
In September 2009, Perry enlisted the coordinating board to work with public institutions to develop better cost efficiencies statewide.
"Our board [is] interested in this effort recognizing that Texas, like the nation, was struggling with accelerating higher education costs within a constrained budget environment," Chavez said. "The THECB has not conducted analysis of the proposed tuition freeze. However, [we] recognize the pressures placed on students and parents as academic charges have increased 90 percent."
Perry first proposed his notion of locking in state public university tuition costs for incoming freshman at the Texas Tribune Festival in mid-September, and THECB is planning to recommend legislation in the upcoming session to reduce the number of unnecessary credits earned toward degrees to reduce costs.
According to Perry's speech, less than 30 percent of Texas students enrolled at four-year institutions graduate within four years. Perry's plan aims for campuses to provide tuition at a fixed rate for the student's first four years of college.
The governor has also said he wants universities to tell students the total cost of a four year degree up front and challenged public universities to create a $10,000 or under degree plan for students. As many as nine universities have implemented a $10,000 degree program.
