Under the new rules, discussions on “race or gender ideology," sexual orientation or gender identity appear to be barred from introductory-level courses.
Texas has long failed to get most of its students the higher education credentials the workforce increasingly demands. But recent laws that reward schools for helping students succeed later in life could help the state make up lost ground, experts say. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board regularly tracks if students enrolled in eighth grade […]
Newly-released state data tracked the long-term outcomes of public school students who enrolled a decade ago.
Records obtained by The Texas Tribune show how universities are using the technology to reshape curriculum under political pressure, raising concerns about academic freedom.
The A&M Board of Regents came to want a more explicitly conservative leader who would shut down controversy before it reared its head, as members grew weary from the steady drumbeat of online posts accusing the university of embracing liberal ideology.
At 13.3%, Houston has the worst rate of young adults who are neither working nor in in school of the largest metro areas in the country.
Tech, now the second Texas public university system to add similar teaching restrictions, had earlier directed faculty to follow state and federal guidance recognizing only two sexes.
Texas A&M did not have good cause to fire a professor after a video of a gender lesson created a political storm, and the school failed to follow due process, a faculty appeal committee found.
Faculty are also prohibited from teaching material inconsistent with approved syllabi. The changes come in response to a recent controversy over gender identity classroom discussions.
University officials dispute the faculty council’s conclusion. Melissa McCoul lost her job after a video of a classroom debate went viral.
The proposal appears to mark the first time a Texas university system offers definitions of what kind of instruction related to race and gender should not be permitted.
Abbott framed his campaign as a means to keep Texas as a conservative bastion, touting efforts to lower property taxes, bolster education and strengthen public safety.
Yass, a school voucher supporter and an influential figure in Texas politics, said the only condition for the gift was for the school not to receive government funding.
The funds will help the workforce training institution fix campus infrastructure and expand its footprint at a time when the state has seen a decline in skilled workers in some fields.
Welsh had pushed for a full payout of the remainder of his contract, something that appears to have been a source of tension between Welsh and top administrators, records show.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday tossed a three-judge panel's earlier ruling that found the ban violated students' free speech rights. The court's 17 judges will rehear the case.
Some students and professors say recent changes and scandals chill speech at universities. Others argue that conservative opinions can now be shared more freely.
Once considered a safe haven to explore identity, Texas campuses are invalidating and alienating trans people, students say.
Proposition 1 would create an $850 million endowment for the college system and its 11 campuses, which are struggling to accommodate a growing student population.
Paxton called on the university to expel the students. Free speech experts have previously criticized state leaders who laud Kirk as a free speech champion while seeking to discipline those who have celebrated his death.
State Rep. Brian Harrison has been on a crusade against Texas universities, scouring course catalogs and university websites for examples of “gender ideology” or LGBTQ+ curriculum, and riling up his X followers about “liberal indoctrination” on campuses.
At least two community colleges, Alvin and Blinn, are also considering what they can and can’t teach to high schoolers enrolled in their fast-growing dual credit courses.
Faculty have spent weeks seeking clarity on new restrictions, which have often been issued by word of mouth. A written Q&A was rescinded.
Williams replaces former president Mark A. Welsh III, who resigned amid the fallout over a viral video showing an A&M student confronting a professor over a gender-identity discussion.
The funding deal would reportedly ask the university to adopt a stricter definition of gender and a tuition freeze, among other conditions.
The federal and state governments want restrictions on recognizing trans and nonbinary people. Here’s how Texas’ higher education leaders are responding.
In May 2023, Miller wrote a letter urging university leaders to reconsider admitting a student whom he described as a “biracial Latina,” who was also the daughter of his political associate.
Texas’ congressional delegation obtained tentative funding for infrastructure improvements, university research and other initiatives, but the nearly 350 earmarks are all in jeopardy.
A Texas State spokesperson said Monday evening that the professor’s employment had been “terminated, effective immediately” after a university review.
Professors are afraid to publicly speak out, system leaders left key questions unanswered and advocates worry for LGBTQ+ students’ mental health.
The state is being criticized for advising colleges to verify students’ status with immigration authorities, which could put them at risk.
Instead of a campus-wide announcement, faculty members say the restrictions have trickled down through department chairs and college meetings.
Gov. Greg Abbott called for a student to be expelled for celebrating Kirk’s death. Legal experts say the student’s speech is likely constitutionally protected.
System Chancellor Glenn Hegar and the Board of Regents chair have stood by the new president amid criticism from some conservatives about her previous work around diversity and equity.
Calls for Welsh’s ousting intensified over his handling of a student’s complaints about gender identity discussions in a children’s literature class.
Some lawmakers have called for Welsh to be fired over his handling of a student’s complaints about gender identity content being taught in a children’s literature class.
The university's announcement came hours after Gov. Greg Abbott called for the student's expulsion.
Several school districts have already taken disciplinary action against staff for comments made about the Christian conservative activist’s death.
The firing happened over two years after Texas A&M stressed its support for academic freedom and amid a changing higher education landscape.
The committees were made to honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk and come as university faculty have come under online scrutiny.
Thomas Alter’s lawyer said the professor would seek legal action for being fired after allegedly violating university policy in a video posted on social media.
An attorney for Melissa McCoul, seen in a video clashing with a student over gender-identity content in her class, said the professor is weighing her legal options.
After the video fueled outrage, a professor was fired and two college leaders removed from their administrative roles for approving content inconsistent with the course’s description.
More Texas universities are turning to politicians to lead their systems, preferring political clout over academic credentials.
Previously, parents had to wait for the state to mail them the exemption form. They still have to get the form notarized before submitting it to the school for enrollment purposes.
A judge said the university can’t be trusted to enforce a state law that bans overnight “expressive activity,” among other restrictions, in a constitutional way.
The Conroe Republican has authored some of Texas’ major higher education legislation in recent years. He will take over as chancellor once he resigns from the Texas Senate.
New laws range from school vouchers and water infrastructure funding to a ban on city and county-funded abortion travel funds.
An enrollment drop could cost the Texas economy hundreds of millions of dollars, the reports say.
Student fellows support vital initiatives like the Texas Tribune Festival and provide in-depth coverage of key issues.
Senate Bill 8, which now heads to the House floor, would restrict which bathrooms in government buildings transgender people would be allowed to use.
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.
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.
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.
Texas A&M University-San Antonio will launch its doctoral program later this year, following its unanimous approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
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.
Proposals in the federal budget bill would cut the maximum Pell Grant award amount by $1,500 and take away eligibility for students enrolled less than half-time.
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.
Legislation approved this year is partly aimed at helping Texas meet its goal of helping 60% of working-age Texans get a postsecondary degree or credential by 2030.
The directive comes after a court rescinded undocumented students’ eligibility for in-state tuition. It’s unclear what information schools might ask from students and how their immigration data will be protected.
Lawmakers also approved direct pay for student athletes and sought better pathways from college to the workforce.
Thousands of undocumented students who grew up in Texas now face college tuition costs that are more than twice what other state residents pay.
Two groups tried to intervene in a case that blocked Texas’ decade-old law allowing certain undocumented students to pay the lower tuition rates at public universities. They’re appealing that decision.
In 2001, Texas Republicans saw expanding college access for certain undocumented students as a way to build an educated workforce. Now, some GOP lawmakers feel only U.S. citizens should receive those benefits.
Within hours of a federal lawsuit targeting Texas’ policy of letting undocumented students qualify for lower public tuition rates, the 24-year-old law was no more.
The Legislature wrapped up without the same drama that defined the end of the last two sessions, with state GOP leaders checking off nearly everything on their to-do lists.
The proposal is largely in response to massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year. Critics say it would walk back free speech protections that conservatives advocated for in previous legislative sessions.
The latest version of the proposal eliminates language that would have required university curricula not to advocate that “any race, sex, ethnicity or religious belief is inherently superior to another.”
The House's higher education committee closed registration to testify on Senate Bill 37 less than half an hour after the hearing started. About 20 people said they didn't get to address lawmakers.
Sen. Brandon Creighton says the bill will prevent disruption. Critics say it walks back conservative lawmakers' previous pledge to protect campus free speech.
Twenty-seven college-bound students just got a little more cash in their pockets thanks to the City of San Antonio Martin Luther King Jr. Commission.
Students told the Tribune they have deleted social media accounts, socialize less and steer clear of charged topics to avoid becoming targets of immigration authorities.
The money will help pay for a permanent home for the school on UT-Austin's campus. Conservative donors and lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, helped create the school in 2023.
Moghe, Rutgers University’s chief academic officer, is a biochemical and biomedical engineer and a former international student. He is expected to start in his new role later this year.
The bill would overturn a two-decade-old law allowing some undocumented college students to pay in-state tuition.
Senate bills that reduce the influence of faculties and restrict protests on college campuses were voted out of committee in a last-minute meeting Monday.
The bill, which would require schools to use a definition of antisemitism when considering discipline for students, will soon head over to Abbott’s desk.
More than 250 students in Texas had their status revoked in recent weeks. Despite the reversal, federal attorneys say they’re developing policies to resume terminations.
The three former students went to UT-Arlington and UT-Dallas. While they have prevailed in court so far, many other international students’ education futures remain uncertain.
The four students were involved in minor criminal cases that have been resolved, which they argue shouldn’t be used to justify ending their higher ed goals in Texas.
The bill would require universities to report any visa-holding students who support terrorism, but its vague language could be dangerous, civil rights groups say.
An overhauled version of Senate Bill 37 would also allow anyone to file complaints that could lead schools to lose funds.
The people affected include a University of Houston professor from Korea who was teaching upper level math under a type of student visa that allows graduates to work in their field of study.
The Trump administration has said it has revoked the visas of more than 300 international students across the country in the last three weeks.
More than a year after Texas’ House Bill 8 took effect, some schools have offered free tuition, grown dual credit programs or helped students’ credits transfer when they move on to four-year schools.
Jim Davis told professors he’ll share their concerns with lawmakers about proposals that would increase oversight on curricula and hiring. Elsewhere on campus, former UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell criticized the bills.
Judge Lee H. Rosenthal said the student group that organizes Draggieland, the Queer Empowerment Council, was likely to succeed in showing the ban violates the First Amendment.
Supporters say diversity initiatives close educational and income gaps born from a history of prejudice. Republican officials say they prioritize identity over merit.