It's another big first day of class in North Texas. Tarrant County College, Texas Christian University, Texas Wesleyan University, the University of North Texas, and the University of Texas campuses in Arlington and Dallas all started the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 19.
More than 2,400 freshmen are enrolled at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, one of the largest classes in the private university's history.
President Daniel Pullin was pulling double duty as the Class of 2028 moved onto campus last week. He braved the August heat to help some of the first-year students unload and get settled into their new home away from home.
"It's great for me to get a sense for the nature and quality of our students, the ambitions of this class, what they're thinking about, how I can help them," he told NBC 5. "It's energizing to me because they're coming into a big new chapter in their life."
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As the new academic year begins, Pullin shared a glimpse into a new report that paints TCU as an economic engine.
Early numbers from the university show in the 2023 fiscal year, TCU generated more than $2 billion nationally through job creation, spending and tax benefits. More than half, $1.3 billion, benefited its hometown.
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TCU will release more details from the 85-page report later this month, but Pullin said the early numbers from consulting firm Tripp Umbach showed TCU is a partner in everyone's success.
"Having hard data impact stats will really help us recruit and retain and grow great organizations," he said. "They could be in the private sector or the public sector. If they know there's a world-class university that generates that level of economic impact, it makes it easier to sell why an organization or why a company would want to relocate and come and build their business. In the context of that robust economic miracle that is a combination of Fort Worth and Texas Christian University."
This year's 12,000 students are the first to pay the bill for a tuition hike announced in November 2023. The hike made headlines by raising the cost of a TCU education above that of Harvard University.
"There's such a great demand for a TCU education, both by parents and students, but also by employers and other organizations in our community right here in Fort Worth and across Texas and nationally and globally," Pullin said as he talked about what he said is a bigger headline.
"We more than offset that (tuition increase) with increased scholarship money that's come from good budgetary decision-making as well as record levels of philanthropy," he said. "Over the last 10 years, to give you an example, TCU's tuition, total tuition has had to go up about 4% a year, a little bit over 40%, but we've raised financial aid over 170% in that same time. So, it's four times. So, I would contend that the accessibility of a TCU education has
never been more broad than it is today," he said.
Dallas College and SMU begin the fall semester next week on Monday, Aug. 26.
