Texas is moving closer to providing affordable college educations to its residents.
As Forbes magazine notes, In 2011, Texas Governor Rick Perry called on the Lone Star State’s public four-year universities to figure out a way to offer affordable bachelor’s degrees.
In fact, the Governor even put a price on what he thought an education should cost: “$10,000.” In the years since many Texas universities have responded. In late 2013, Texas A&M-Commerce and South Texas College launched the first Texas Affordable Baccalaureate Degree.
The degree combines online study with credit for skills already acquired in the workforce and/or during military service. The system lowers costs and reduces the time it takes to graduate. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in 2017 awarded grants to four new Texas Affordable Baccalaureate programs to launch similar programs.
Meanwhile, Amarillo College and West Texas A&M continue to offer some of the most affordable education programs in the state.