Texas universities could see fewer international students amid immigration crackdown, reports say
An enrollment drop could cost the Texas economy hundreds of millions of dollars, the reports say. Full Story
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Jessica Priest covers higher education, working in partnership with Open Campus. She joined the Tribune in 2022 as an engagement reporter in the ProPublica/Texas Tribune joint investigative unit, contributing to a series that was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the explanatory reporting category. Prior to the Tribune, Jessica worked for the Fort Worth Report, USA Today, the Victoria Advocate and the Temple Daily Telegram, reporting on topics that included criminal justice, the environment and local government. Her work has often made an impact. The state’s highest criminal court granted a death row inmate a new trial after she detailed a prosecutor’s conflicts of interest. After she exposed questionable hirings and payments at a port and later a water district in another part of the state, both public entities underwent reforms. Jessica was born in Houston and graduated from Sam Houston State University.
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![Students walk the University of North Texas campus in Denton, TX on February 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
UT System nixes faculty senates, approves restrictions on campus protests
The changes are in response to new state laws seeking to limit faculty’s influence and put guardrails on campus demonstrations. Full Story
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![A view of the UT Tower from the business building on the UT Austin campus during finals week on April 28, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Confusion reigns as Texas colleges scramble to comply with ban on in-state tuition for undocumented students
The state isn’t providing schools with guidance and advocates say students who still qualify for lower rates are being asked to pay thousands more. Full Story
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![Katerin M.S., 24, a graduate student in social work at the University of Houston, works full time as a case worker while managing her schoolwork. Covered by DACA, she is among those advocates and attorneys say have lawful presence and should remain eligible for in-state tuition. Despite this, the university initially raised her tuition. Katerin stands outside her work office on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, in Houston. “I saw the email when I got to work. Even just thinking about it makes me emotional. I couldn’t escape from it. I literally cried. I felt like I was in a cage — like if you don’t pay it or you don’t do what they tell you by Aug. 8, that is what’s due, and that is what you’re going to have to pay,” she said.]()
Credit: Hope Mora for The Texas Tribune -
Fifth Circuit halts West Texas A&M drag show ban as free speech lawsuit continues
In a split decision, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the school’s prohibition on drag performances, finding students are likely to prove it violates the First Amendment. Full Story
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![Protesters marched against the university president’s decision to cancel a drag performance at West Texas A&M University on March. 23, 2023.]()
Credit: David Bowser for The Texas Tribune -
Texas State System dissolves faculty senates, eroding professors' influence on campuses
While other universities move to preserve the advisory bodies, Texas State will abolish them under a new state law that curtails faculty’s influence on campuses. Full Story
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![Texas State University campus in San Marcos in 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Texas A&M System’s new leader hints faculty senates in state leaders’ crosshairs will stay
In an interview with the Tribune, Chancellor Glenn Hegar also said he would prioritize student outcomes over big projects and skirted questions about diversity and academic freedom. Full Story
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![Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar, center, meets with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Duane Wagner, left, and Lance Bullard before a crash test at the Texas A&M RELLIS campus in College Station, Texas, on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Hegar’s visit to the RELLIS campus was his first since beginning his tenure as chancellor on July 1.]()
Credit: Cassie Stricker for The Texas Tribune -
UT System names John Zerwas as chancellor, Jim Davis as UT-Austin president
Both Zerwas and Davis had been serving as interim leaders of the university system and its flagship. Full Story
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![Then-state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, speaks to pages on the House floor on April 4, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
United Methodist Church can fight to prevent split with SMU, Texas Supreme Court rules
The school sought to leave the church because of differences over gay marriage and clergy. The court did not decide whether SMU could be prevented from separating. Full Story
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![A sign at one of the entrances to the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas on Dec. 20, 2022.]()
Credit: Image of Sport/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Texas A&M, university systems in other red states will create their own agency to review schools’ quality standards
The creation of the new accrediting agency comes as Republicans have criticized existing ones for reinforcing a liberal bias in the country's higher ed institutions. Full Story
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![People take photos with the 3-ton bronze replica of the Haynes Aggie Ring at Texas A&M University on Monday, June 15, 2020 in College Station. The ring is located outside the Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center near Kyle Field.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Once again targeting higher ed, Texas lawmakers limited faculty influence, campus speech this session
Lawmakers also approved direct pay for student athletes and sought better pathways from college to the workforce. Full Story
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![Students walk the University of North Texas campus in Denton, TX on Feb. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune