Texas Higher Education AlmanacEdit
The Texas Higher Education Almanac serves as the authoritative annual reference on the state’s postsecondary landscape. It aggregates data from the Texas higher education ecosystem, including public universities, independent institutions, and community colleges, drawing on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board), state agencies, and participating campuses. The publication is widely used by policymakers, campus leaders, and business leaders to gauge performance, plan budgets, and evaluate the state’s investment in human capital.
Viewed through a practical, outcomes-oriented lens, the almanac frames access, affordability, quality, and workforce alignment as core responsibilities of state government and higher education institutions. It features detailed statistics on enrollment, degrees conferred, tuition and fees, financial aid, faculty, research activity, and graduate outcomes, all presented to help Texas allocate resources efficiently and maximize the taxpayer and student return on investment.
Overview
The almanac covers the full spectrum of Texas higher education, including public systems such as the University of Texas System and the Texas A&M University System, private independent universities, and a broad network of Community college. It presents data by sector, campus, and program, enabling users to compare performance across institutions and over time. Key topics include:
- enrollment and demographic trends, including the distribution of students by race and ethnicity, with attention to differences among black, white, hispanic, asian, and other student groups
- degrees conferred and program mix across disciplines
- tuition and fees, financial aid, and student debt
- retention, time to degree, and graduation rates
- transfer patterns within the state, particularly pathways between community colleges and four-year institutions
- faculty numbers, salaries, and instructional workload
- research expenditures, grant activity, and the growth of Texas-based innovation
- regional variations in access and outcomes across urban and rural areas
Where relevant, the almanac links to broader topics such as Higher education in the United States and policy constructs like Performance-based funding to situate Texas within national trends while highlighting state-specific dynamics. The data are interpreted in light of Texas’ economic priorities, including energy, healthcare, technology, and manufacturing, and the role of higher education in supporting a competitive workforce.
Data and metrics
The almanac organizes variables that policymakers and administrators rely on to judge value for money and to identify gaps that deserve targeted attention. Representative metrics include:
- enrollment (undergraduate and graduate) and enrollment growth trends, with breakdowns by sector and demographics
- degrees conferred by degree level and field of study, showing where Texas is producing graduates in demand
- tuition and required fees, and trends in the cost of attendance
- financial aid activity, including need-based and merit-based aid and net price to students
- student debt levels and repayment performance
- persistence and graduation rates, including differences by race and ethnicity
- transfer rates from community colleges to four-year institutions and the effectiveness of articulation agreements
- faculty counts, instructional assignments, and average salaries
- research expenditures, enrollment in STEM fields, and technology transfer indicators
- graduate employment and earnings outcomes, including return on investment measures for different degrees
The almanac also provides methodological notes on data sources, definitions, and limitations to help readers assess reliability and comparability with other state and national datasets. By compiling these indicators, the publication supports accountability while preserving flexibility for campuses to pursue mission-specific strategies.
Policy and debates
Texas’ approach to higher education funding and governance generates vigorous policy discussions, and the almanac is frequently cited in those debates. From a practical, market-minded perspective, several core themes recur:
- accountability and funding models: The almanac documents how funding decisions correlate with outcomes, informing discussions about performance-based funding and the appropriate weight given to metrics such as completion rates, time to degree, and degree-to-employment alignment. Proponents argue that linking dollars to outcomes drives efficiency and value for taxpayers, while critics worry about unintended consequences for access and academic breadth. See Performance-based funding for related context.
- affordability and taxpayer returns: With tuition and fees rising in some years, the almanac highlights the cost burden on families and the role of financial aid. Supporters emphasize transparent pricing and value-based education, while skeptics caution against price signals that deter low-income students. The discussion often intersects with broader debates about state funding levels for public higher education and the efficiency of administration.
- equity and opportunity: The data illuminate gaps in outcomes among black, white, hispanic, and other student groups. A right-leaning perspective typically stresses that closing gaps should come through targeted support, accountability, and job-relevant programs rather than establishing rigid quotas or race-based admissions policies. Critics of such approaches may advocate stronger affirmative-action considerations; the almanac provides an empirical basis for evaluating which strategies improve persistence and completion without compromising merit-based admissions. When critics frame the data as “woke” activism, proponents argue that transparency and accountability are the antidotes to inefficiency and misaligned incentives.
- workforce alignment and ROI: The publication emphasizes how degrees translate into labor-market outcomes, which is central to the argument that public investment should prioritize programs with clear economic demand. This perspective favors expanding capacity in high-need fields and improving pathways from two-year colleges to four-year degrees, while exercising prudent oversight of expensive programs with weak labor-market returns.
- modality and access: The growth of online and hybrid offerings is evaluated for cost efficiency, scalability, and quality assurance. Advocates see online options as part of a broader strategy to broaden access and reduce costs, while opponents worry about the potential erosion of student support services and learning outcomes if not carefully managed. The almanac’s data help policymakers balance these considerations with conservative expectations about the value of traditional campus-based experiences.
In discussing controversies and debates, the almanac remains a factual touchstone, allowing stakeholders to argue about policy design on the basis of observable results rather than sentiment. It supports a view that Texas should pursue accountability, affordability, and alignment with market needs, while resisting policies that undermine institutional autonomy or student choice without clear, demonstrable gains in value.