Texas Degree Payoff Lags Other States

A Strada Education Foundation report finds most Texans with a bachelor's degree recoup their costs within a decade, while the state trails in affordability.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Financial Aid

Bold flat-color vector editorial illustration of two stacks of gold discs on an open plain beneath a wide sky, with a hard hat at their base. — Strada Education Foundation found 76% of Texas bachelor's holders out-earned their degree costs within 10 years, but Texas trails other states on affordability. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Strada Education Foundation released a report on November 10, 2026, finding that a bachelor's degree pays off within 10 years for more than 75% of Texans. The report also finds Texas lags other states in keeping a four-year degree affordable.

Why it matters

The findings show that the cost of a degree for many Texas students still requires substantial work hours alongside study. Texas has frozen public university tuition for four years, but net prices remain a burden for many families.

Researchers used a median Texas student wage of $11.16 and defined low-income students as those from families earning $30,000 or less, with net price counting tuition, housing, books and food minus grants and scholarships. Strada calculated payoff by comparing earnings gains against degree cost over 10 years.

The players

Strada Education Foundation

Strada Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on education and workforce outcomes that publishes research on college costs and returns.

The details

Strada calculated that 76% of Texas bachelor's holders earned more than their degree cost within 10 years, compared with high school graduates, and 59% of associate's holders did the same. Researchers calculated the work hours needed to cover net price by dividing it by the median student wage, finding 31 hours per week for the average in-state public college student.

Tuesday, November 10, 2026: Strada Education Foundation released its annual report on Texas college payoff.
Over the last four years: Texas public universities have frozen tuition.
Last year: Texas outpaced the nation in overall jobs added.

Health Landscape

Strada's annual state-level payoff reports measure degree value against cost, and this Texas edition places the state's frozen tuition against its persistent net-price burden. The findings sit within a multi-year series tracking whether bachelor's degrees return their cost to graduates across states.

Texas students weighing a degree can compare the average $14,834 net price against their own work capacity, since the report puts the in-state requirement at 31 hours per week. Low-income students face a lower net price of $10,519, which translates to 18 hours per week of work.

The takeaway

Degree value depends heavily on net price and the hours a student must work to cover it. Students comparing Texas schools should weigh their own work capacity against the payoff window of roughly 10 years.