College Affordability - Insights and Solutions from Texas Students and Postsecondary Leaders - June 2025

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle

College Affordability: Insights and Solutions from Texas Students and Postsecondary Leaders (June 2025) examines how the cost of attendance and affordability challenges affect opportunities for upward mobility, including Latino students. Drawing on interviews and perspectives from Texas Seal of Excelencia certified institutions, it analyzes student and institutional experiences and identifies four focus areas: paying for college, navigating support systems, addressing basic needs, and applying for financial aid. The brief concludes with actionable recommendations for students, presidents, and administrators to improve access to quality education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages40

Reading Time1 h 41 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

Context & Background

Participating Trendsetting Institutions

Latino Student Profile

Profile of Texas Students Interviewed

Findings on College Affordability from Student, Administrator, and President Voices

Defining Affordability

Navigating Support Systems

Paying for College

Addressing Basic Needs

FA FSA Simplification

Key Recommendations for College Affordability

Student Recommendations

President and Administrator Recommendations

A Way Forward: Key Takeaways from Conversations with Texas Stakeholders

Conclusion and A Call to Action

Appendix

COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY: INSIGHTS AND SOLUTIONS FROM TEXAS STUDENTS AND POSTSECONDARY LEADERS COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY: INSIGHTS AND SOLUTIONS FROM TEXAS STUDENTS AND POSTSECONDARY LEADERS June 2025 AUTHORS: Lily Cuellarsola, Research Analyst Madelyn Lucas, Policy Analyst Deborah A. Santiago, Chief Executive Officer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: This project benefited from input by Maggie Hinojosa, Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiativesand Student Affairs & Deputy to the President at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. This brief benefited significantly from review by Emily Labandera, Director of Research at Excelencia in Education as well as input and perspectives shared by leaders and representatives from: 1. Angelo State University 2. St. Edward’s University 3. Texas State University 4. Texas Woman’s University 5. The University of Texas at Arlington 6. The University of Texas at Austin 7. The University of Texas at El Paso 8. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley 9. The University of Texas at San Antonio This publication was developed with the generous support of the Hector and Gloria López Foundation. Any opinions expressed in this report are the authors’ and do not necessarily represent the views of the Hector and Gloria López Foundation. The authors are solely responsible for the content, opinions, and any errors in this publication. SUGGESTED CITATION: Cuellarsola, L. , Lucas, M. , & Santiago, D. (June 2025) . College Affordability: Insights and Solutions from Texas Students and Postsecondary Leaders. Washington, D.C.: Excelencia in Education. For more information about this publication, contact: [contact@edexcelencia.org](contact@edexcelencia.org) Launched in 2004 in the nation’s capital, Excelencia in Education leads a national network of results-oriented educators and policymakers to tap the talents of the Latino community and address the U.S. economy’s needs for a highly educated workforce and engaged civic leaders. With this network, Excelencia accelerates Latino student success in higher education by promoting Latino student achievement, informing educational policies with a Latino lens, and advancing evidence-based practices. For more information, visit: [EdExcelencia.org](EdExcelencia.org). Copyright © 2025 by Excelencia in Education. All rights reserved. 2 COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY: INSIGHTS AND SOLUTIONS FROM TEXAS STUDENTS AND POSTSECONDARY LEADERS Foreword Time and again we hear that the cost of going to college and the challenges of making college affordable limit the opportunities students and communities have for upward mobility. This is true for students of all backgrounds, including Latinos. Excelencia in Education accelerates Latino student success in higher education by promoting Latino student achievement, conducting analysis to inform educational policies, and advancing institutional practices while collaborating with those committed and ready to meet our mission. We do this not to the exclusion of other students or groups, but are committed to addressing issues in higher education that seem intractable with a different lens, a Latino lens, in hopes that we can use the strengths and opportunities of intentionally serving the young and fast growing Latino population as a way to transform higher education to better serve all students. The purpose of this brief is to inform institutional, state, and national policy with practices and strategies to more intentionally support the cost of a quality education for Latino, and all, students grounded in the efforts and impact from trendsetting institutions. To do so, we examined both the cost of attendance and how Latinos, and other students, in Texas are paying for college with institutional, student, and leadership perspectives in Texas Seal of Excelencia certified institutions. Listening and learning from students and administrators at institutions resulted in four areas of focus with chal

FAQs

What problem does the brief focus on regarding college affordability?

It focuses on how the cost of going to college and the challenges of making college affordable limit students’ and communities’ opportunities for upward mobility, including Latino students.

How were Texas institutions and voices used in the research?

The brief examined both the cost of attendance and how Latinos and other students in Texas pay for college, using institutional, student, and leadership perspectives from Texas Seal of Excelencia certified institutions.

What are the four main focus areas identified in the brief?

The brief organizes its challenges and solutions into four areas: paying for college, navigating support systems, addressing basic needs, and applying for financial aid.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle