COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Texas A&M University System announced last week students will not see a tuition spike this upcoming Fall. Due to an increase in inflation, this decision impacts all 11 Texas A&M University campuses.
Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, Chancellor John Sharp shares how the board wanted to take initiative and help families.
“Inflation is impacting families,” said Chancellor Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “It’s impacting students. Obviously, it’s impacting us. We felt it was us that ought to find a way to cope with it rather than the families and the students that are here. They made a decision not to have tuition increases this year.”
Chancellor Sharp says inflation alone causes a burden to families. The board did not want tuition to be another burden.
“It’s not time to add to that burden,” said Chancellor Sharp. “The university, all 11 of them, are going to have those inflated expenses as well, but we just decided that we’re going to live with it. We’re going to manage through it and not put that burden on students and families this year.”
Due to properly managing funds, Chancellor Sharp says the university system will be able to manage without an increase in tuition.
“The legislature did make us some of the shortfall that has happened over the last ten years,” said Chancellor Sharp. “That propagated 700 million dollars into the formulas. A&M is the chief beneficiary in that formula because we have more students.”
The news is a relief for Texas A&M student Lauren Sharkis and her mom.
“Especially because COVID hurt a lot and so I know my mom for instance had to take some money out of my college trust fund in order to pay for her mortgage,” said Lauren Sharkis, student at Texas A&M University.
Alexander Pickard is also a Texas A&M student who says not seeing an increase in tuition will help him financially for the future.
“This’ll be a relief for me just in terms of my future and my financial security going into the real world eventually,” said Alexander Pickard, student at Texas A&M University.
Pickard believes this decision could help families struggling financially.
“I think it’s a great stride to help out families in need and families that are constantly put under pressure from prices rising due to inflation,” says Pickard.
The Texas A&M University System board is focused on making college affordable and accessible to all Texans.