Texas A&M Class of 2027- FIXED or VARIABLE Tuition Rate

Colleges and Universities A-Z Texas A&M University
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FIXED or VARIABLE tuition? (WITH DATA and NUMBERS, please!!)

Parents with multiple Aggies (In-State)!!

Has anyone actually sat down and calculated the actual difference between Variable VS Fixed tuition rates? (Does not apply to OOS students) Curious on historical data and the difference.

We picked FIXED for my Aggie '24 thinking tuition would never decrease but then the pandemic happened… I’m crunching numbers and with her situation, it appears going Variable would have been the winner in this case. It’s certainly a gamble and I didn’t win on this hand!

Pulled info from my DD’s Howdy per semester: (she did Blinn Team for 1st year)

Year 1: 2020-21 (General studies/ Blinn Team) 6 hours ONLY
Fixed: $2462.86/ semester at TAMU only
Variable: $2361.80/ semester at TAMU only

Year 2: 2021-22 (Public Health) 12+ hours
Fixed: $6407.44
Variable: $5932.79

Year 3: 2022-23 (Public Health) 12+ hours
Fixed: $6407.44
Variable: $5932.79

Year 4: 2023-24
Rates not officially published but Board of Regents voted for a new tuition implementation and proposed variable rate for Public Health will decrease (Fixed is .8% higher).

*tuition plus required fees (no parking, meals, room, books, etc)

So for me, it appears going Variable would have saved me $1050.36 to date. (But she did get a $1K scholarship- so it could be said it’s a wash!)

Note:
Tuition rates were not changed for Year 3 due to pandemic… so this was not a normal circumstance

And plot twist- new proposed rates 23-24 are decreasing (some are same) and University will take a loss of revenue with new implementation.

Any insights with ACTUAL data? I’m curious how your data compares to mine. I am still leaning towards FIXED rate again for my Aggie '27.

Source for 2023-24 rates: https://wtaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/BOR111022TuitionFees.pdf

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Discussed OFTEN on Aggie Moms/Dads of Current Students, are you a member?

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I am in both! I used the search function for that topic and didn’t actually see any historic numerical data other than… pick X or Y and why. (I am guilty of replying ‘pick Fixed’ to one of those posts LOL)

I am looking for actual numerical data to compare and didn’t want to make the admins on the FB pages mad on posting the topic over and over again!

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That’s crazy. My son went 2018-2022 and his tuition increased every year. We did variable and it cost us.

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I realize this question is a bit old now. But my actual numbers having picked variable tuition are:
$5,841.75 per semester (Fall 21, Spring 22, Fall 22, Spring 23). Fixed tuition/fees would have been $6,654.77 per semester according to the tuition calculator. My student is a BioChem major which is college of Agriculture. I believe his variable tuition stays the same again for 23-24 (per article linked earlier).

I chose variable based on time-value of money principals. Also, I presumed that in pandemic situation it would be a really bad look for a state university to drastically increase tuition. There is some politics involved after all. Also with the overwhelming responses for Fixed when this question is asked in parent forums, I also trust that the University if fairly safe in knowing their income for a majority of the students for the next 4 years. Note, it doesn’t only fix tuition for students - the University also has a guarantee. They know what % of their students won’t receive the benefit of the decrease in tuition for instance.

However, if I were selecting NOW, I would more seriously consider fixed. I wouldn’t guess that such a favorable trend can continue for an additional 4 years. I wouldn’t however rule out variable - still based on time value of money.

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Thanks @JoyMom21! I did pick Fixed for my DS '27 (Engineering) knowing that we are most likely not going to get any need based financial aid and who knows what the economy looks like 4 years from now. Thank you so much for your insight and data! Congrats on your Aggie graduating soon!!

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