How local universities compare in cost in UT and A&M systems

UTSA main campus at Loop 1604. (KSAT)

SAN ANTONIO – The University of Texas at San Antonio is one of the least-expensive schools in the University of Texas System, while Texas A&M University-San Antonio is one of the most expensive in its system.

UT and Texas A&M both have substantial school systems with universities scattered across the state. The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest in the U.S. with 11 branches. The UT System consists of 13 institutions, including five health institutions, which were not included in the Business Journal research.

Recommended Videos



A&M-San Antonio is the second-most expensive school in the A&M System with $26,107 total cost of attendance in 2022, according to the Department of Education. UTSA is the second least expensive UT System, with a $23,474 total cost.

A&M-San Antonio increased its total cost by 1.5% since 2020, while UTSA has increased its total cost by a 15%, aligning with the growing cost of tuition across San Antonio.

Texas A&M University-College Station is the most expensive out of the A&M and UT school systems. It cost $31,703 for on-campus full-time students in the 2022 fiscal year, according to the Department of Education.

UT Dallas, the most expensive school in the UT school system, wasn’t far behind with a total cost of $31,696. The main Austin campus, the flagship university of the system, costs just below $30,000 a year.

The two most expensive schools also saw an increase in total cost of attendance from 2020-2022. Texas A&M’s total cost increased by five percent, while UT Dallas’ total cost jumped by almost six percent. However, neither schools broke the top 25 most expensive schools in Texas and are ranked 31 and 32, respectively.

The two most affordable institutions in each system are The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Tarleton State University. Both universities cost just over $22,000 in the 2022 fiscal year. The remainder of universities in each school system range from $23,000 a year to just under $30,000.

There are discrepancies between Department of Education data and public university information.

For example, DOE data lists the total cost of attendance for UTSA as $23,474 in the 2021-22 academic year. UTSA lists the cost of attendance for the same year as $27,752.

A&M-San Antonio data also has similar discrepancies as the Education Department list the cost of attendance for a full-time, on-campus in-state student for the same academic year as $26,107. A&M San Antonio lists the cost of attendance for the same period as $26,562.

Editor’s note: This story was published through a partnership between KSAT and the San Antonio Business Journal.

Click here to read the story in the San Antonio Business Journal.

Also on KSAT: