TAMIU Gets New Degrees, Tuition Freeze with Governor’s Approved Budget

Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently signed legislation that approved a record $1.19 billion in new spending for The Texas A&M University System, including money to freeze undergraduate tuition and fees for Texas residents for the next two years at System campuses.  Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) has not raised tuition and fees since 2021.

At TAMIU, this has also created a path for the creation of two new degree programs with $4 million in funding for Clinical Lab Sciences and Occupational Therapy degrees.

A&M System Chancellor John Sharp said both thanks and praise are in order.

“We are thankful to state officials for meeting the needs of higher education in what is a historic legislative session for higher education.  We also praise our Board of Regents, the System leadership, and our government relations teams,” said Chancellor Sharp, “It was a team effort, but the Regents, in particular, were focused on keeping college affordable in Texas. Our students and their families will reap the benefits of their efforts.”

TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz concurred and said the University is committed to keeping costs low for students and their families. He’s also excited to add new degrees to the University’s inventory.

“We’re glad that we can maintain our commitment to being accessible, affordable, and exceptional by extending these savings to parents and students…this is the third year in a row that we have not raised tuition and fees.

“While the start of the semester is always an exciting time at the University, this Fall we’ll be developing two new programs that we believe have tremendous relevance for our area.  Both are in the dynamic Health Sciences field and will be housed in our College of Nursing and Health Sciences. We expect to begin offering coursework in Fall 2024,” Dr. Arenaz explained.

He shared insight on both programs.

“The Clinical Lab Sciences program will prepare graduates to work in hospitals, clinics, and private laboratories as an integral part of a health care team aiding in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease by conducting and analyzing laboratory tests. The Occupational Therapy program will prepare graduates for a career assisting individuals with disabilities to live full and independent lives.  As a historically medically underserved region of the State, these programs will measurably expand health sciences offerings in Webb County and South Texas, “ he noted.

Arenaz said both programs will be cornerstones in the new Health Sciences Education and Research Center, green-lighted by the A&M Board of Regents last March, along with the expansion of the campus’ Western Hemispheric Trade Center.   

The Health Sciences Education and Research Center will enable greater clinical/demonstration appointments for the community through public-facing communications disorders, community counseling centers, kinesiology research, and public health, he said.

The Regents approved planning funding for both projects at $71.2 million with a construction start date later this year.

The Texas Legislature also provided funding to offset the expense of free tuition for the dependents of veterans, agreed to pay a higher portion of health care costs for higher education, and authorized $71.5 million for ongoing performance-based funding for at-risk students graduating from the state’s regional universities, like TAMIU, where a large portion of students are first-generation.

Registration for Fall 2023 is currently underway. To learn more about TAMIU’s Registration processes, visit https://www.tamiu.edu/reghub/.  

Classes begin Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. Late registration ends Friday, Sept. 1.

University news and information can also be found online at tamiu.edu and on TAMIU’s social channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.