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.
Taxes & Spending
Hijacked: How the Bond Process is Being Used Against Taxpayers
School bonds are one of the main instruments contributing to Texas’s local government debt, which is currently over half a trillion dollars. Key points: As of 2026, school bond debt in Texas is over $236 billion. In May of 2023, Texas passed 79% of the 245 bond proposals put on the ballot, costing taxpayers $22.9...
April 7, 2026