Austin CC freezes tuition
Austin Community College’s board voted to freeze tuition for the 2026–27 academic year, marking 13 consecutive years without an increase. The decision was reported as a concrete affordability move by the college and covered in local reporting on April 13, 2026. (kut.org)
Austin Community College will keep tuition flat for the 2026–27 school year, extending a 13-year freeze approved by its board on April 6. (kut.org) For students who live inside the college’s taxing district, tuition stays at $67 per credit hour, or $85 per credit hour once fees are included. Students who live outside the district will continue to pay a $201 per credit hour out-of-district fee. (austincc.edu) Austin Community College said the board approved the rates at its Monday, April 6 meeting. The college said fall registration opens May 11 for current and former students, May 15 for all students, and classes start August 24. (austincc.edu) The freeze leaves a full-time in-district student taking 30 credit hours a year paying about $2,550 with fees, according to KUT. KUT reported the national average annual in-district tuition and fees at public two-year colleges is $3,598, and the Texas average is $3,160. (kut.org) College officials tied the decision to enrollment and retention. Monique Johnson-Jones, Austin Community College’s associate vice chancellor of advising and student planning, told KUT that lower tuition makes students more likely to enroll or stay in school in the Austin metro area’s high-cost environment. (kut.org) The sticker price is only part of what students pay. Austin Community College’s tuition page says in-district students are charged $15 per credit hour in general fees, a $2 student success fee, and a $1 sustainability fee, with some programs adding course or lab charges. (austincc.edu) The college has also tried to lower costs beyond the tuition vote. Its admissions site says recent high school graduates may qualify for an Austin Community College Free Tuition Pilot Program, a separate effort from the districtwide tuition freeze. (austincc.edu) Austin Community College framed the 13-year streak as unusual for a public two-year school. In its April 9 announcement, the college called the freeze one of the nation’s longest-running efforts to hold tuition steady as fall enrollment approaches. (austincc.edu)
