Affordability for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Tuition and Fees
Average tuition and fees for 30 semester credit hours: $5,640
Median family income by region, by ethnicity.
| Region | White | Black | Hispanic | Asian | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median Income | Percent T&F | Median Income | Percent T&F | Median Income | Percent T&F | Median Income | Percent T&F | Median Income | Percent T&F | Median Income | Percent T&F | |
| High Plains | $46,811 |
12.0% |
$23,133 |
24.4% |
$27,694 |
20.4% |
$52,598 |
10.7% |
$28,115 |
20.1% |
$39,987 |
14.1% |
| Northwest | $41,423 |
13.6% |
$25,405 |
22.2% |
$26,442 |
21.3% |
$38,308 |
14.7% |
$26,569 |
21.2% |
$37,693 |
15.0% |
| Metroplex | $65,041 |
8.7% |
$36,594 |
15.4% |
$34,976 |
16.1% |
$61,260 |
9.2% |
$36,291 |
15.5% |
$54,032 |
10.4% |
| Upper East Texas | $43,743 |
12.9% |
$24,903 |
22.6% |
$27,999 |
20.1% |
$51,327 |
11.0% |
$30,080 |
18.7% |
$39,700 |
14.2% |
| Southeast Texas | $44,397 |
12.7% |
$24,739 |
22.8% |
$31,914 |
17.7% |
$44,345 |
12.7% |
$31,873 |
17.7% |
$39,615 |
14.2% |
| Gulf Coast | $67,885 |
8.3% |
$35,211 |
16.0% |
$33,398 |
16.9% |
$56,901 |
9.9% |
$33,860 |
16.7% |
$50,955 |
11.1% |
| Central Texas | $58,189 |
9.7% |
$33,184 |
17.0% |
$36,874 |
15.3% |
$57,789 |
9.8% |
$35,577 |
15.9% |
$49,907 |
11.3% |
| South Texas | $53,694 |
10.5% |
$35,426 |
15.9% |
$28,487 |
19.8% |
$50,069 |
11.3% |
$28,439 |
19.8% |
$36,673 |
15.4% |
| West Texas | $47,399 |
11.9% |
$24,815 |
22.7% |
$27,378 |
20.6% |
$47,765 |
11.8% |
$27,609 |
20.4% |
$38,073 |
14.8% |
| Upper Rio Grande | $55,051 |
10.2% |
$41,124 |
13.7% |
$28,320 |
19.9% |
$44,521 |
12.7% |
$28,470 |
19.8% |
$33,588 |
16.8% |
| Statewide | $57,194 |
9.9% |
$33,276 |
16.9% |
$30,840 |
18.3% |
$56,792 |
9.9% |
$30,266 |
18.6% |
$45,132 |
12.5% |
Undergraduate Students from in-state
| Region | White | Black | Hispanic | Asian | Other | Male | Female | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Num | % | Num | % | Num | % | Num | % | Num | % | Num | % | Num | % | Num | % | |
| High Plains | 21 | 0.3% | 0 | 0.0% | 5 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 13 | 0.2% | 13 | 0.2% | 26 | 0.4% |
| Northwest | 17 | 0.3% | 3 | 0.0% | 5 | 0.1% | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.0% | 12 | 0.2% | 16 | 0.2% | 28 | 0.4% |
| Metroplex | 239 | 3.6% | 20 | 0.3% | 28 | 0.4% | 5 | 0.1% | 4 | 0.1% | 127 | 1.9% | 169 | 2.5% | 296 | 4.4% |
| Upper East Texas | 24 | 0.4% | 2 | 0.0% | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | 0.0% | 16 | 0.2% | 14 | 0.2% | 30 | 0.4% |
| Southeast Texas | 17 | 0.3% | 2 | 0.0% | 2 | 0.0% | 2 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 10 | 0.1% | 13 | 0.2% | 23 | 0.3% |
| Gulf Coast | 446 | 6.7% | 61 | 0.9% | 96 | 1.4% | 21 | 0.3% | 6 | 0.1% | 256 | 3.8% | 374 | 5.6% | 630 | 9.4% |
| Central Texas | 293 | 4.4% | 23 | 0.3% | 57 | 0.9% | 7 | 0.1% | 9 | 0.1% | 172 | 2.6% | 217 | 3.2% | 389 | 5.8% |
| South Texas | 2,271 | 34.0% | 165 | 2.5% | 2,385 | 35.7% | 129 | 1.9% | 77 | 1.2% | 1,955 | 29.2% | 3,072 | 45.9% | 5,027 | 75.2% |
| West Texas | 120 | 1.8% | 23 | 0.3% | 58 | 0.9% | 5 | 0.1% | 1 | 0.0% | 81 | 1.2% | 126 | 1.9% | 207 | 3.1% |
| Upper Rio Grande | 10 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 19 | 0.3% | 2 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 15 | 0.2% | 16 | 0.2% | 31 | 0.5% |
| Statewide | 3,458 | 51.7% | 299 | 4.5% | 2,657 | 39.7% | 174 | 2.6% | 99 | 1.5% | 2,657 | 39.7% | 4,030 | 60.3% | 6,687 | 100.0% |
Criteria for Admissions
- Top 10% of high school graduation class
- Academic record
- Standardized test scores
- Community activities
- Extracurricular activities
The admission decision process also considers high school class rank as a major component of the admissions decision.
Analysis of the Criteria used to admit students
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi uses a combination of high school class rank and test scores as the criteria for regular admission decisions. If a student does not meet the regular criteria, the University uses an alternative admit process which considers additional factors. In this review, in addition to high school class rank and test scores, the University also considers high school college preparatory courses taken above the minimum required, extra curricular activities, leadership roles, honors and awards received, community service and employment, and evidence of extenuating circumstances that may have affected high school performance. If applicants rank in the top half of their high school class, and have the minimum point score required, they are admitted under the alternative admission process. Alternative admission applicants with class rank below the top half and have the minimum point score are referred to the Undergraduate Admission Committee and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The Admission Committee membership includes faculty from all of the colleges, a college dean, the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, a student affairs representative, a representative from the Title V programs, a student representative, and the Director of Admissions (ex officio).
Criteria for Financial Aid
- Financial need
- Merit (grades; g.p.a.; performance; other)
- Enrollment in a specific major/discipline
- Submission of financial aid application by preset deadline
- Date of financial aid application (first-come; first-served)
- Expected family contribution
- Cost of attendance
We use the criteria above for awarding federal and state financial aid. We also use the following criteria for merit and need based scholarships:
- Rank in Class
- ACT/SAT scores
- Letters of Recommendation
- Essay
- Resume
- Leadership
- Extracurricular Activities
- Talent and Achievement
- Extenuating Circumstances
- Community Service
Need Based Scholarships:
- Financial Need (as determined by FAFSA)
- Rank in Class
- Type of High School Program
- First Generation
- Household Composition
- Number of Family Members in College
- Housing Status
- Employment History
Analysis of the criteria used to award financial aid
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi uses both a priority deadline date and financial need to award Federal, State and Institutional aid. Preference is given to those students who have the most financial need based on the cost of attendance minus the students expected family contribution. Students who do not meet the priority deadline are awarded on a first come first served basis. Texas Public Education Grant (TPEG) and Federal Supplementary Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) are awarded based on an expected family contribution (EFC) range of $0 to $400. Student with an EFC of $401 and above are awarded up to their financial need. Initial Texas Grant awards are also awarded using the EFC range which is set according to Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board requirements. The University uses the criteria listed above to award merit and need based scholarships. The criteria, and the point value assigned to the criteria, are determined by the University Scholarship committee. Students are then evaluated accordingly by members of the Financial Assistance Office and members of the Scholarship Committee. Students receiving the highest total points in the evaluation process are awarded scholarships.
Comparison of this institution to peer institutions in-state and out-of-state
The following five out-of-state institutions were selected for comparison because they were the peer institutions used for comparisons by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in the 2007 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Accountability System report. The five institutions in the comparison group are: Arkansas State University, University of Central Missouri, Austin Peay University in Tennessee, Western Carolina University, and University of West Florida. Fall 2007 state resident tuition and fees 30 hours at each institution was determined from each institution's official web site. Median family income in the home state of each institution was determined from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey (2007 data set). Among the comparison institutions, tuition and fees ranged between $3,300 and $5,386 with a median of $4,620. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi's tuition and mandatory fees for 30 hours was $5,386. Tuition and fees charged to students vary with the higher education funding policies of each state. Higher or lower taxpayer contribution to the cost of higher education will influence the direct tuition and fee cost to students, so direct comparisons between institutions in different states should be treated with caution. Calculating tuition and fees as a percent of median family income for comparison with out-of-state peers requires a standard definition of median family income adjusted for each state. The detailed breakdowns regionally and by ethnic group for Texas given above in this report are not available for other states, so a state-by-state overall median family income comparison is the only available methodology. Estimated median family income in 2007 ranged from a high of $55,966 in Florida to a low of $47,021 in Arkansas. Texas was $55,742. (The median family income given as $45,132 in the table at the beginning of this report was based on 2000 census data and has not been adjusted to reflect 2007 realities) Tuition and fees for 30 hours as a percent of median family income ranged from a high of 10.3% to a low of 5.9% with a median of 9.4%. Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi was 9.7%. Three of the five comparison institutions had higher percentages of tuition and fees to median family income. The conclusion to draw from this is that in terms of affordability relative to peers in other states, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is very much in the middle of the cost impact range. Comparison with in-state peers is not possible with the available data because of the different regional and ethnic composition of the student enrollment at the various institutions in the group. That being said, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi draws substantial numbers of students from the less affluent parts of the state, and the University making every effort to control costs consistent with maintaining academic quality and to increase student aid to enable this institution to contribute to closing the gaps in Texas higher education.
Updated 4/6/2009 from the THECB Affordability Survey
