Report: Tuition jumps 52 percent in five years

EDINBURG - Janie Sustayta has had to juggle two jobs and a full-time course load at the University of Texas-Pan American to earn her bachelor's degree in biology.

But each year, the 22-year-old Elsa woman has had to find more money to pay for her education.

"I had to start taking out loans. Now I'm at $15,000," said Sustayta, who works as a tutor at Economedes High School and her parents' trucking company. "I only paid two years. It's a lot."

Since the Texas Legislature allowed public universities to set their own tuition in 2003 and capped its mandated tuition at $50 per semester credit hour starting in September 2005, the institutions have increasingly shifted the cost of attending college onto their students.

The state's public universities pushed for the deregulation, saying they weren't receiving enough money from the state and wanted more control over what they charge for tuition. But as universities gained more freedom in setting their rates, they have stuck students with more of the cost burden.

A report released earlier this month by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shows that on average students attending the state's public universities were paying about $1,000, or 52 percent, more per semester last school year than they paid in the fall of 2003.

Students attending the Rio Grande Valley's two universities paid more than $900 more per semester in the 2007-08 school year than they did in the 2003-04 school year. Overall tuition and fees increased 63 percent at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College and 58 percent at the University of Texas-Pan American during that period.

Universities raised their designated tuition - the portion of tuition the state allows institutions to set - by 112 percent on average because they have received less money from the state to pay for educating their students. UTB-TSC and UTPA increased their designated tuition by 106 percent and 131 percent, respectively, according to the report.

Meanwhile, from fiscal years 2002 to 2007, the Texas state budget was cut in terms of real-dollar, per-student funding for universities by 19.92 percent, according to the Office of the Texas Comptroller.

"For us at UTPA, it's an unfortunate situation because we have very fragile students," said Juan Gonzalez, the university's budget director and assistant vice president for business affairs.

He noted in particular that many of the students attending UTPA and UTB-TSC come from low-income families.

Institutions in regions that serve students from higher-income families are able to raise tuition much easier than those like UTPA and UTB-TSC. Universities that serve primarily low-income students, like those in the Valley, are under pressure from students not to raise tuition because of the financial strain it will cause them, Gonzalez said.

"It hurts us not to raise (tuition) because the cost (of educating students) keeps going up," he said.

Before deregulation, the state raised its statutory tuition by $2 per semester credit hour each year. And it allowed university systems to set their designated tuition so long as they did not exceed the state's statutory tuition. The state capped its tuition a few years ago at $50 per semester credit hour.

Trying to provide the best education while keeping tuition affordable for UTPA students has been a balancing act for the university because faculty recruitment and program expansion costs are growing, said Dennis McMillan, associate vice president for enrollment and student services.

And any money the university receives from donors is often earmarked for specific construction projects or programs, not for instruction costs, McMillan said.

This fall, UTPA students are expected to pay $2,612 in tuition and fees for a 15-credit-hour class load, the lowest in the UT system. UTB-TSC students are expected to pay $2,661.

The universities must have the University of Texas Board of Regents approve their tuition rates.

In December, the board of regents capped designated tuition increases at 4.95 percent per year or $150 per semester, whichever was greater, to ease the burden on students.

The Valley's universities also have done what they can to keep costs low for their students.

Last year, UTPA awarded $102 million in financial aid, with 60 percent of that in scholarships and grants. The university also began offering students discounted tuition if they take more than 14 credits a semester, McMillan said.

The university hopes the discount encourages students to graduate in four years because they can take more classes without incurring much more in the way of costs. Finishing in four years is a challenge for students right now, because many also work and have families to take care of, McMillan said.

The university also offers its UTPAdvantage program, which provides students with a family income of $30,000 or less free tuition and fees for four years.

Similarly, UTB-TSC offers free tuition and fees to students whose family income is $25,000 or less, said Charles Dameron, the university's vice president for academic affairs. It also offers scholarships and a student employment program, as well as the federal Work Study program.

About 65 to 70 percent of the university's students receive financial aid, Dameron said.

"The Valley's two institutions are very sensitive to the communities that they serve and work hard to keep (costs low)," Dameron said. "It's an ongoing challenge trying to make ends meet."

Despite efforts from universities to alleviate the price hikes, students still have to take out loans or work more jobs to pay for school.

Weslaco resident Lucy Cabrera plans to graduate with a bachelor's degree in biology and psychology in May 2009.

She had to take out loans because her family earned too much money for her to qualify for financial aid. The 25-year-old also has had to put in extra hours at her job at Bealls to help pay off some of the debt.

"There (have) been scholarships here and there but they don't pay for everything," she said.

A helping hand for students

The balancing act