Editorial: While tuition-free college is good for many families, some problems could arise

The University of Texas System recently announced that enrollment at any system university will be tuition-free for students with household incomes below $100,000. A similar benefit already exists at UT Rio Grande Valley, and it actually enlarges the Promise Plus Program, a needs-based financial-aid program the system launched in 2019.

System officials estimate some 7 million families qualify for the benefit.

However, some Republican politicians have expressed outrage at the announcement. Ten GOP state legislators published a letter they sent to the UT System condemning the move and demanding answers. They call it an abuse of power and say it threatens to make Texas “more socialist than California.”

They want to know on “what specific statutory authority” the decision was made. System officials have pointed out that no such authority is necessary, as no tax funds will be involved in the program.

As we understand it, students will receive the financial aid for which they qualify, and the system will pay the difference from endowments, which come from private donations and bequeathals — not from taxes. Instructions regarding the use of those funds, if any are given at all, are set by the donors themselves.

That fact doesn’t mollify many opponents.

“There must be consequences,” state Rep. Brian Harrison of Midlothian, one of the 10 letter signers, posted on his X social media account. “UT’s budget must be cut, and bureaucrats should be fired.”

We wouldn’t be surprised if they seek to cut state funding to UT campuses, as a punitive measure.

To be sure, the program doesn’t provide a free ride to students who qualify; they still must cover ancillary costs such as housing.

If, like other financial aid programs, this increases enrollment at UTRGV and other system universities, costs will increase. More professors, aides and other staff must be hired and more classrooms might need to be built.

Whether that higher enrollment leads to more graduates remains to be seen. The tuition and fee waiver certainly will attract more students who might not have pursued higher education otherwise — that’s the intent. But how many of them might not endure the rigors of university studies and drop out if they don’t have much of an investment in the outcome?

And of course, we’ll never know what the UT system and its universities might have done with the funds that will be diverted to pay student tuitions.

We’ll also have to see if the new policy affects UTRGV directly. While our university is rapidly growing in programs and prestige, it can’t be denied that it also draws students because of its affordability — it consistently ranks as one of the best values for the education dollar in the country. Without that financial incentive, might the Valley’s schools lose top students to other, more established institutions?

A university education is invaluable. Reducing the costs should benefit more students and the communities to which they will contribute afterward. But bureaucratic decisions, no matter how well intentioned, often have unintended consequences. We’ll eventually see what effects UT’s tuition waiver might create.

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