Texas
Student Access & Success
Texas’ four-year institutions receive an average grade in this area, with top 10 rankings in credentials per 100 full- time equivalent undergraduates and the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants but bottom third rankings in completion and retention rates. Meanwhile, the state’s two-year institutions receive a low grade, in particular with credentials per 100 full-time equivalent undergraduates and completion rate scores in the bottom 10 of all states.
Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness
Texas receives a very good grade in this area for four-year institutions, with a cost per completion ($48,849) and state and local funding per completion ($30,318) that rank in the top 10 of all states. Texas’ two-year institutions receive an average grade, with a cost per completion ($54,502) and state and local funding per completion ($43,761) in the middle third of all states nationally.
Meeting Labor Market Demand
The median wage of a Texas bachelor’s degree holder is approximately $20,800 (or 69%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate for a bachelor’s degree holder is about 3 points lower. The median wage of an associate’s degree holder is approximately $10,700 (or 36%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate is about 2 points lower.
Transparency & Accountability
Texas is a national leader in this category. The state’s primary consumer information sources, a series of Online Institutional Resumes, provide student outcomes, including both graduation rates and licensure passage rates. The state also has an online net price calculator. The University of Texas system requires its institutions to use the Collegiate Learning Assessment to measure student learning outcomes and uses the Automated Student and Adult Learner Follow-Up System to measure labor market outcomes.
Policy Environment
The Texas plan for higher education is specifically targeted to closing gaps in participation and success between Texas and other states. The state does not have an outcomes- based funding system. The Texas Core Curriculum is guaranteed to transfer to any institution.
Innovation
The Texas Distance Education website provides access to information on 3,000 online courses and 18 full degree programs, though the system does not guarantee transfer of online courses across institutions. Regarding new providers,Texas has one of the most restrictive regulatory environments in the country, with an extensive approval process and a sensitive regulatory trigger.
Report Card
Compare with
Four-Year Institutions
TX Nat'l| Student Access & Success | C |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 39.0 | 30.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 74.8 | 77.9 |
| Completion Rate | 47.9 | 54.5 |
| Completions per 100 FTE Students | 22.1 | 19.7 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 3 | |
| Complete College America | * |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | A |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $48,849 | $68,140 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $30,318 | $41,198 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $56,580 | $76,932 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined Measure (5-point scale) | 5 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | C |
|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $20,820 | $17,881 |
|---|---|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 169.4 | 156.0 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $18,550 | $12,703 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 174.2 | 149.9 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 3.3 | 4.0 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.9 | 2.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 5.6 | 7.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 2.5 | 2.9 |
| Transparency & Accountability | A |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 3 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | true | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 4 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | true | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 3 |
Two-Year Institutions
TX Nat'l| Student Access & Success | D |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 42.9 | 46.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 58.2 | 58.6 |
| Completion Rate | 11.9 | 20.5 |
| Completions Per 100 FTE Undergraduates | 12.5 | 16.8 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 2 |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | C |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $54,502 | $57,210 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $43,761 | $35,476 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $56,263 | $52,512 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined MeasureCombined Measure (5-point Scale) | 3 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | B |
|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $10,656 | $8,545 |
|---|---|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 135.5 | 126.1 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $9,435 | $6,595 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 137.7 | 125.0 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 2.1 | 2.7 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 4.0 | 4.9 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 1.77 | 1.84 |
| Transparency & Accountability | B |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 3 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | true | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 4 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
State
TX Nat'l| Policy Environment | C |
|---|
| State Goals (6-point Scale) | 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Does the State Have Outcomes-Based Funding? | false | |
| Four-Year Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Two-Years Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Have a Credit Transfer Policy? | true | |
| Credit Transfer Policy (5-point Scale) | 5 |
| Innovation: Openness to Providers | F |
|---|
| Numerical Openness to New Providers Grade | 54% | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Jurisdiction | 50% | |
| Financial Burden | 73% | |
| Approval Process Burden | 40% |
| Innovation: Online Learning | C |
|---|
| Numerical Online Learning Grade | 42.9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Online Learning Score (7-point Scale) | 3 |
State Facts at a Glance
- Number of Public Four-Year Institutions 34
- Number of Public Two-Year Institutions 66
- Number of Students Served by Public Four-Year Institutions 374502
- Number of Students Served by Public Two-Year Institutions 503008