Texas A&M Board considers differential tuition hike

College Station, Texas

-- Tuition for first-year students at Texas A&M University’s (TAMU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences could jump $2,000 this fall, increasing by another $2,000 each year until 2015.

AThe $6,000 tuition hike came goes before Texas A&M’s Board of Regents this week and may result in in-state veterinary school tuition increasing from $14,479 currently ($10,188 of which is strictly for tuition) to a maximum of $18,000 over the next four years. Other fees, aside from tuition, could increase too, the college notes. The proposed increase is aimed at bringing TAMU?s veterinary school fees in line with other U.S. veterinary colleges, according to the school. Average tuition among accredited veterinary schools is $20,616, notes TAMU.

The university also says that tuition has not increased for the last 10 years, and benefits of the tuition increase would include greater support for hands-on learning experiences, increased scholarship support and the ability to increase faculty. Faculty salaries would be increased by a portion of the tuition hike, since TAMU’s veterinary faculty salaries rank among the lower in the country, according to the university.