Texas colleges and universities were abruptly shut down in mid-March, kicking thousands of students out of dorms and crowded lecture halls and forcing them into virtual classrooms. Now these schools are charting the path for the fall semester, trying to preserve the college cultural experience, while balancing safety and lost revenue. Students are making decisions about whether to return, whether online classes will serve their needs, whether the higher education experience is still worth the money, and whether they should participate in college sports.
Universities are moving forward with reopening plans for the fall semester, anxious to bring students back. But faced with online classes and an altered campus, students are questioning if college is still worth what they're paying. Full Story
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Universities across Texas and nationwide are seeing an increase in online cheating since the start of the pandemic, as students take more virtual courses and test remotely with less supervision. Full Story
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“We are pausing all football team activities and shutting down football training facilities to get a COVID-19 spread among our football program under control,” Chris Del Conte, UT-Austin athletic director, said in a statement. Full Story
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Texas Tech and UT-El Paso ended up on opposite ends of the spectrum in how they approached the fall semester, facing the unprecedented educational and safety challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both universities are planning more of the same in the spring. Full Story
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National data shows just 24% of Texas high school seniors have filled out federal financial aid forms, a nearly 15% decline from the same time last year. Full Story
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Few Texas universities — some of which have been identified as coronavirus hot spots — have explicitly encouraged students to quarantine for 14 days before Thanksgiving or required exit testing, despite staggering rises in case counts across the state and country. Full Story
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Multiple Texas universities are planning in-person graduation ceremonies this December, despite the fact that the state’s daily COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations are higher today than they were in May when most universities first scrambled to cancel the celebratory events. Full Story
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Halfway through the semester, schools are reporting participation rates far below their goals, prompting at least one school to go so far as to offer prizes to students who volunteer to get a coronavirus test. Full Story
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Campaigns, political organizations and students at schools across Texas say they’re worried and frustrated that pandemic health restrictions are stymying efforts to register and turn out students to vote. Full Story
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The board approved an annual salary of $795,000 for Hartzell as interim president in June. Full Story
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In counties where four-year college students make up at least 10% of the population, cases have grown 34% since Aug. 19, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. That’s compared with 23% in counties with a smaller proportion of students. Full Story
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At UT-Rio Grande Valley, administrators spent a tense summer preparing for the fall semester while local coronavirus rates spiked, the area spiraled into further economic depression and debate raged across the nation about how to safely send college students back to school. Full Story
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With just over 15,000 fans in a stadium that holds more than 100,000, the University of Texas kicked off the football season after requiring mandatory COVID-19 tests for students who attended the game. Full Story
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The University of Texas at Austin will face off against The University of Texas at El Paso on Saturday with thousands of fans in the stadium and new safety precautions. Full Story
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Other ticket holders and visitors from University of Texas at El Paso are not required to be tested to enter the stadium. Full Story
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Schools, desperate to keep their doors open but worried about health risks to their students, are being put in the uncomfortable position of having to govern young adult behavior that is mostly happening off university property. Full Story
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Public health experts say colleges need to dramatically ramp up testing in order to catch “silent spread” fueled by students who are infected but don’t have symptoms. Full Story
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In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, listen to why a University of Texas at Austin sophomore says attending in-person labs during the pandemic is worth the risk. Full Story
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Young will continue as a faculty member for the Bush School of Government and Public Service and the Texas A&M School of Law, and take on a new role as the director of the Institute for Religious Liberties and International Affairs. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune spoke to experts about what the state can expect as schools and universities start school remotely or in person. Full Story
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Monday was the first day of in-person instruction at the San Marcos campus since the coronavirus pandemic raged across Texas, forcing school officials to reinvent the college experience in an attempt to keep students safe. Full Story
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