Texas community colleges know many high schoolers are skeptical of higher education because of the price tag. Some want to change that conversation by using new state dollars to waive tuition for some of their youngest students.
Austin Community College, one of the most populous junior colleges in the state, is set to waive tuition for this year鈥檚 graduating high school seniors through 2027. ACC鈥檚 Board of Trustees will vote on the proposal in April. If the proposal passes, the school would use the $6.8 million it received this year through 鈥� the legislation passed last year that expanded the pot of money junior colleges get funding from and tied future funds to positive student outcomes 鈥� to pay for this benefit.
鈥溾�楧iscount鈥� doesn鈥檛 change people鈥檚 perceptions that they can鈥檛 afford to go to college鈥� 鈥楩ree鈥� means something when you鈥檙e talking about college affordability in the way that a discount does not,鈥� ACC Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart said.
Austin Community College plans to pay eligible students鈥� tuition before federal and state aid kicks in. Known as a 鈥渇irst-dollar鈥� program, this setup would allow students to use other aid toward expenses like books, child care and housing. The plan is a rare departure from , in which federal and state aid goes to tuition before the institution covers the Other schools are also doubling down on financial support for their youngest students with dual credit. By the spring, nearly every community college in the state will have . This effort was facilitated by the state 鈥� colleges who participate qualify for .
Questioning the value of college
In Texas and across the country, young people and their families have become increasingly skeptical of the benefits of college. Negative public perception of higher education costs has mostly centered around four-year, private institutions. Experts say community colleges often get lumped into that conversation, even though they usually have lower tuition rates.
鈥淔amilies continue to still get the main message that if you mean college, you must mean a four-year college. That鈥檚 what you're supposed to want. That鈥檚 the thing to aspire to. And that鈥檚 what you're supposed to try for your kid to go to. And if you can鈥檛, then you can鈥檛 鈥榓fford鈥� college,鈥� said Sara Goldrick-Rab, a senior fellow at research group Education Northwest. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really problematic.鈥�
In Austin, about 57% of high school seniors do not enroll in any higher education institution after graduating. Higher education leaders believe many of these students skipped college and entered the workforce to keep up with the cost of living.
student鈥檚 remaining balance. Last-dollar scholarships any tuition costs for students who qualified for the federal Pell Grant.
鈥淲e do think there鈥檚 a lot of [students] that have already given up [on college] because they heard that it鈥檚 $50,000 or $100,000 to get a degree. And they don鈥檛 know that it鈥檚 always been a fraction of that at Austin Community College,鈥� said Neil Vickers, the school鈥檚 chief financial officer. 鈥淏ut you don鈥檛 know what you don't know.鈥�
Offering free tuition should convince some students to enter college right after high school, Vickers said. He also expects the very idea of free tuition will send a clear message to all students that college is attainable. He hopes more Austin students will reach out to their student financial aid offices.
Increasing access to dual credit can position students to think about college early. Earning college credit while still in high school has been linked to a higher likelihood of graduating high school, attending college and completing a degree.
And high school students enrolling in dual credit classes need the help since they are usually not eligible for financial aid, according to Mark Escamilla, the president of Del Mar College. The school used $2 million of its HB 8 money last year to regardless of need.
Beyond financial aid
Free-college programs at community colleges are tied to, particularly among Black, Hispanic and female students, according to a 2020 Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis report.
But to have lasting positive impacts on the perception of college, higher education experts say colleges need to build on free-tuition programs with more support for newly enrolled students.
鈥淲hen they talk about affordability, that鈥檚 great, but if the student or the household or the family cannot see long-term career success鈥hen it may or may not align with the values of that student or their family,鈥� Kenyatta Lovett, a Texas-based higher education consultant at Education Strategy Group.
Lovett said colleges need to be transparent about what a student should expect in the workforce after graduation.
Low-income families look at their communities鈥� experiences with college when considering whether higher education is right for them, he added. They judge whether the college graduates they know achieved economic mobility with their degrees 鈥� and when a student who does not complete their college education is left saddled with debt, the message is negative.
鈥淭hat messaging gets spread throughout the community, that college isn鈥檛 worth it because you can take this risk, but it may not work in your favor,鈥� Lovett said.
The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.