Value Schooling

The best BA for your buck? In Texas public colleges, Horns trump Aggies

University of Texas at Austin ranked No. 14 on the list.
Texas A&M ranked No. 23
Science.TAMU.edu
University of Texas at Dallas came in at No. 54

The University of Texas at Austin , Texas A&M University , and the University of Texas at Dallas are among three Texas schools in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s list of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges for 2011.

UT-Austin came in at No. 14 — the highest-ranked Texas university on the list. A&M ranked No. 23 and UT-Dallas No. 54. The University of Houston didn’t make the cut.

However, UT Austin dropped to No. 27 when comparing out-of-state tuition. (The total cost per year is estimated at about $20,404 in state and $42,204 out of state.) Texas A&M dropped to No. 35 for out-of-state tuition and UT-Dallas to No. 63. This is only bad news for non-Texans who want to receive their education in the Lone Star state. Current Texas residents should be only concerned with in-state costs.

The list identified the “best BA for the buck” by considering schools’ academic excellence as well as the ability to keep in-state and out-of-state costs low when compared to other schools.

The overall message for students applying to college: Aim for schools that deliver an outstanding, affordable education in good times and bad. In-state is always a better deal, but if you're set on going elsewhere check the out-of-state tuition.

The best example is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which has ranked No. 1 on Kiplinger's in-state tuition list for 10 years and No 3. for out-of-state. Carolina's admission rate remains among the lowest and its students among the most competitive. The in-state cost, at $17,000, is not much higher than the average price ($16,140) for all public universities. Out-of-state is $35,614.

For students who qualify for need-based aid, this top-tier Tar Hell university gives an average of $7,020. (University of Virginia, Charlottesville gives the most need-based aid, allowing qualifying students around $14,955 on average.)

Not seeing your favorite school in the top 100? There’s a separate list for private colleges.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”