Fixed Tuition Begins This Fall at TAMIU

Beginning this Fall, undergraduate students at Texas A&M International University will be able to lock in the cost of their higher education with fixed tuition and fees.

The Fixed Tuition and Fee Plan was mandated by the Regents of The Texas A&M University System earlier this year and will be automatically available to all Texas resident, undergraduate students at all System universities, including TAMIU.

TAMIU president Dr. Ray Keck said the Fixed Tuition and Fee Plan affords students and parents a distinct advantage: cost containment.

“In a time of enormous economic challenges, we are now able to guarantee students and their parents that all tuition and mandatory fees will be locked in for the course of their enrollment and timely completion of their undergraduate degree.  This is a huge advantage for students and their families as they prepare their budgets. They’ll be able to accurately forecast their expenses and contain them throughout their education here,” Dr. Keck said.

The Fixed Tuition and Fee Plan guarantees tuition and fees for four years for most majors for a total of 12 consecutive semesters. 

Students are placed in a cohort based on their first semester of enrollment in an institution of higher education following high school graduation.  For example, a student who started prior to the spring 2011 semester will have completed the initial 12 semester period and will be included in the 2014-15 cohort for an additional 12 semesters.

Keck said that the program encourages students to complete their degrees on time in order to keep their costs down.

“Clearly, this also requires students to commit to their degree program and complete it on a timely basis.  From the moment they enroll, the clock is ticking.  Delaying their program by taking a semester off, for example, does not stop the clock. Those who delay their progress will leave their current cohort and be assigned to a new cohort, with a slight cost increase.  The group that has the greatest potential benefit are of course those students who complete all four years of their undergraduate education with us, locking in their costs from the beginning and throughout their program,” he noted.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on working diligently to keep the University both accessible and affordable, and this Fixed Tuition and Fee Plan really affirms that commitment,’” Keck continued.

In an effort to help students and parents better understand the new Fixed Tuition and Fees, the University will launch an online application that will enable students and their parents to quickly determine what cohort group they will enter and the costs that will be associated with the Fixed Tuition and Fee Plan.

In addition, a comprehensive FAQ site on the University’s web page will also be dedicated with links to the online application and contacts for additional information.

Keck said the University believes that the Fixed Tuition and Fee Plan will be of considerable interest to students and their parents and a catalyst for enrollment growth.

“It’s a win-win for both students and their families:  an undergraduate degree at a fixed cost that’s guaranteed not to change.  We think it’s something every family can get behind,” he concluded.

TAMIU’s Fall Semester 2014 begins Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014.

For additional information on the TAMIU Fixed Tuition and Fee Plan, click on http://www.tamiu.edu/fixedtuition/; email: businessoffice@tamiu.edu, call 956.326.2140 or visit the Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center.

For enrollment information, click on tamiu.edu, email enroll@tamiu.edu or contact the Office of Admissions at 956.326.2200 or stop by offices in the Zaffirini Student Success Center.

TAMIU summer office hours are 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Mon-Thurs and from 8 a.m. – 12 noon on Fridays.

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Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu