How expensive are Texas colleges?

Students headed to college this month are packing with them some hefty tuition bills. Several Texas campuses, including Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, Baylor University and Rice University, have tuition over $50,000 for the fall and spring semesters combined. Room and board adds at least $10,000 more to the tab.

Rice University is ranked as the second most expensive university in Texas, but is known for its generous needs-based merit. Qualified students from families earning under $75,000 receive full tuition, fees, room and board. Students from families that earn up to $200,000 may earn half tuition. Rice advertises its full cost for 22-23 as $74,110, but says the average freshman aid package awarded was $53,688. If it seems dramatically higher than you remember, that's because tuition and fees have increased nearly 1,900 percent at private colleges since 1972. And for public schools, the increase has come at an even higher rate.