A new trend in Texas higher education is the process of fee consolidation: the combining of several mandatory fees into one mandatory, consolidated fee charged to students. First implemented by Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University San Antonio in May 2012, effective for the fall 2012 semester, consolidated fees have since been adopted by 11 more Texas general education institutions (TAMUS 2012, 62-67). Of the 13 universities that have consolidated fees, all but one have officially named them a “University Services Fee,” and the average consolidated fee costs approximately $908.33 for a resident undergraduate student enrolled in a 15-hour semester.
Thoughts on House Republicans’ Plan for Higher Education
Republicans on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce released the College Cost Reduction Act, which proposes a wide range of changes to higher education. Much is in the bill, but the most important changes revolve around transparency, financial aid reforms, deregulation, and accountability. Transparency The bill would make several changes to improve transparency,...