Rising tuition costs have changed the landscape of postsecondary education in the Greater Houston area. An increasing numbers of students are seeking more affordable options, including community college and dual-credit programs focused on majors that are marketable to the region’s dominant industries.

From 2011 to 2015, tuition increased at a rapid rate at several four-year universities frequently attended by graduates of Humble and New Caney ISDs—22 percent for a semester at the University of Houston and 42 percent at Sam Houston State University.

However, the cost of a 12-credit semester at the Lone Star College System has risen only 7 percent, from $704 to $752. LSCS, the two-year community college system serving the northern Greater Houston area, was the collegiate  choice for nearly 9,000 HISD and NCISD graduates in 2015, according to a study conducted by the college.

“There are so many things that people can do with a two-year degree and make a really good living wage, especially for those that either can’t do a four-year degree or people that have already been out [in the workforce], but they want to improve what they’re doing or move up,” said Maribeth Stitt, dean of business, technology, communications and languages for LSC-Kingwood.

The school districts are also offering higher education opportunities through dual-credit programs. Since the passage of Texas House Bill 505, which removed limits on the number of dual-credit college courses that a Texas high school student can take, more Lake Houston-area students are enrolling in dual-credit courses.

Two-year college growth

Amos McDonald, vice chancellor of government and public relations at LSCS, said enrollment at the college has increased from about 46,000 in 2005 to more than 82,000 in 2014.

Although part of that growth can be attributed to an overall population boom—Harris County has added more than a million residents since the 2000 census—McDonald said the economy is also a factor.

“Debt is a reason why a lot of students start with us, but you have a ton of students who are transferring from us to four-year colleges,” McDonald said. 

This strategy allows students to reduce their cost for a four-year college education, he said. Two years at an LSC campus would cost about $3,000 in tuition, while four years at a public university in Texas would average about $33,000, McDonald said

“If you do two years here and two years there, it’s a savings of  $13,500,” McDonald said. “That alone makes a significant difference, reducing the debt by a third.”

Enrollment at two-year Texas colleges has outpaced enrollment at public four-year universities, rising by 26.5 percent from 2005-14 compared to 24.6 percent for public four-year schools.

However, tuition increases at the University of Houston has not been a detriment to enrollment, said Jeff Fuller, director of student recruitment at UH. Students transferring from community college represent about half of new student enrollment at UH, he said.

“It’s not something we’re concerned about,” Fuller said. “Our applications are up, both incoming and transfer, and we’ve been in that pattern for a number of years.”

Expanding higher ed institutions

Three community colleges in or around the Lake Houston area—LSC-Kingwood, LSC-North Harris and San Jacinto College—are constructing new educational facilities that offer career opportunities in growing fields in which a four-year degree is not necessary.

LSC-Kingwood and San Jac are both constructing new facilities at Generation Park, a mixed-use development near Summerwood. The 50,000-square-foot LSC-Kingwood facility will house the college’s new process technology program, which will train attendees to run process operations in a chemical plant—an in-demand field in the Lake Houston area, Stitt said. The project was funded through the $485 million bond package passed in November 2014.

Construction is expected to begin this summer, and the building will open to students in fall 2017, she said.

“[The Process Technology Center] will serve the students in our service area, and that’s huge,” Stitt said. “We have a lot of people that work as process operators that live in the Kingwood and Humble areas. And the closest place for students in our area to go would be San Jacinto [College Central in Pasadena] or Lee College. Neither one of those are close.”

SJC’s new 57-acre campus at Generation Park will focus on academic transfers and workforce needs, said Amanda Fenwick, vice president for marketing and public relations. It is projected to include one building that services 2,600 students. However, the campus site offers room for expansion, Fenwick said. Construction is slated to begin in 2019. The new campus, which will serve Sheldon ISD, will be funded through SJC’s $425 million  bond package that passed in November.

Meanwhile, LSC-North Harris broke ground on its 55,000-square-foot Construction and Skilled Trades Technology Center in July. When it opens in fall 2017, the $19 million facility will feature six classrooms, training labs for electrical technology, field service technology and pipefitting programs.

“The Lone Star College Constructions and Skilled Trade Center will provide state of the art instruction and training for career and technical skill that are needed in the industry today,” LSCS Chancellor Steve Head said. 

Dual-credit courses

Through a partnership with Lone Star College System, HISD and NCISD offer dual-credit opportunities for their students. In HISD, an additional 195 students enrolled in dual-credit programs during the 2015-16 school year. 

HISD students can attend Quest Early College—a dual-credit-based program housed at Humble High School—and receive an Associate of Arts degree along with their high school diploma. The district also offers dual-credit courses, advanced placement courses and career-oriented certifications through the Career and Technical Education program at its five traditional high schools.

NCISD offers a similar program through Infinity Early College High School, which allows students to earn an associate degree or 60 college hours. Infinity is housed at the NCISD Annex.

Dual-credit programs allow students to take ownership of their future, which increases student success, HISD Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen said.

“In almost every state that I’ve been in, it’s been a priority of the district and the state to give students the opportunity to earn college credits before they graduate,” she said. “A lot of students really buy in and invest in that idea, and one of the things we’ve learned in the last few years is that student motivation and engagement is really central to long-term success and learning.”