Texas A&M to freeze tuition for 2 years
Gov. Greg Abbott approved a record $1.19 billion in new spending for The Texas A&M University System, including money to freeze undergraduate tuition and fees for Texas residents the next two years.
The new spending, which was contained in several bills, is the first time in history the Texas A&M System has eclipsed a billion dollars in new funding from the state.
The A&M System took the lead on its three priorities: keeping college affordable, keeping Texas prepared to respond to disasters and increasing a state match so Prairie View A&M University could qualify for federal funding.
The System also played a pivotal role in tuition reform as lawmakers enacted largely the Texas A&M System tenure system, plus adopted changes in the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) legislation based on the Texas A&M University’s recommendations “We are thankful to state officials for meeting the needs of higher education in what is a historic legislative session for higher education,” said John Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System.
He praised the Board of Regents, the System leadership and its government relations team.
“It was a team effort, but the Regents, in particular, were focused on keeping college affordable in Texas,” Sharp said. “Our students and their families will reap the benefits of their efforts.”
Lawmakers approved $698.5 million for all public higher education institutions – including $180.9 million to A&M System universities – in exchange for freezing undergraduate tuition and academic fees for Texas residents over the next two years. The affordability money was tied to tenure reform as well as legislation addressing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts in higher education. The governor signed both of those bills last week.
The Legislature also provided more money to offset the expense of free tuition for the dependents of veterans, agreed to pay a higher portion of health care costs for higher education employees and authorized $71.5 million for ongoing performance-based funding for at-risk students graduating from the state’s regional universities where a large portion of their student bodies are first-generation students.
The new spending overall for the A&M System includes: $180.9 million for the A&M System institutions’ share of the affordability contingency $43.1 million in formula and research performance funding for the A&M Health Science Center $159 million for the A&M System Agencies for “Keeping Texas Prepared” and 5 % pay increases for agency employees in each of the next two years $775 million in new initiatives. “Keeping Texas Prepared” is a statewide emergency management initiative for the five emergency management agencies of the Texas A&M University System to meet the emergency response and recovery needs of a growing state. The Legislature provided $96.7 million, including: Texas Division for Emergency Management, $14.6 million for Workforce Development Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, $24.2 million for the Extension Agent Network Texas A&M Forest Service, $34.7 million for Emergency Response Capacity and Local Firefighting Capacity Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, $3.7 million for Rapid Detection of Animal and Human Disease Threats