On April 2, the Lone Star College System’s board of trustees approved unchanged tuition rates for the 2026-27 school year and discussed lowering the rates in the future.
What happened
During the LSCS trustees’ regular April 2 meeting, trustees unanimously approved the proposed tuition rates for the 2026-27 school year. According to April 2 meeting documents, the rates will remain at:
- $111 per credit hour for in-district students
- $249 per credit hour for out-of-district students
- $313 per credit hour for out-of-state/international students
- $43 per credit hour for dual credit students
The discussion
Trustee Daniel Meza expressed a desire to lower LSCS tuition rates in the future, especially out-of-district and out-of-state/international tuition, which he said are high compared to other schools in Texas.
“We are keeping tuition the same rate … which is a great thing, I think,” Meza said. “But in my view, a better thing would be to start looking at ways to lower tuition, even a small amount.”
However, board Secretary Iesheia Wilson said if rates are lowered for out-of-district and out-of-state/international tuition, LSCS will need to lower in-district tuition too, which could impact the college system’s budget.
“As a taxpayer, I would be very upset if somebody that’s from out of state, out of the country, out of the district can come in and almost get the same benefit as me,” Wilson said.
It was too late to consider lowering the tuition rates for the 2026-27 school year, Chancellor Mario Castillo said April 2. However, trustees tasked the district’s Audit and Finance Committee with evaluating potential tuition changes and bringing information to the board in the future.
Remember this?
In March 2024, LSCS trustees voted to raise the college system’s tuition to the current fees, as previously reported by Community Impact. The changes included an $8 bump per credit hour for in-district tuition and a $23 increase per credit hour for out-of-state/international tuition.
The new tuition rates were expected to bring in an additional $10.1 million in revenue for LSC, as previously reported.