TCU raises tuition again, but most students don’t pay sticker price

by McKinnon Rice, Fort Worth Report
November 25, 2025

by McKinnon Rice, Fort Worth Report
November 25, 2025

Michelle Randolph’s character, Ainsley Norris, was thrilled to be accepted to Texas Christian University in the opening Season 2 episode of Taylor Sheridan’s popular drama “Landman.” 

She greeted her father, Billy Bob Thornton’s character Tommy Norris, by exclaiming, “I’m a Horned Frog!” 

The private Fort Worth university makes a notable appearance in the episode — and so does its price.

“I’m glad you passed up that public school, in-state tuition,” quipped Thornton’s Norris.

TCU recently announced that it would raise tuition by 4.75% next school year, bringing it to $66,516 per year. 

But how does TCU compare to other private universities — such as Baylor University, Southern Methodist University and Harvard University — and what do students actually pay?

Most students do not pay the full sticker price listed on a school’s website.

Scholarships, grants and other financial aid typically cut down on costs. The average amount a student actually pays also differs depending on their family’s income. 

TCU’s average net price was $39,005 for the 2022-23 school year, the most recent year for which federal data is available from the National Center for Education Statistics. 

That put the school in the middle among the private universities compared. For Harvard, which guarantees it will meet all of a student’s financial need, the average net price was $17,900. For Tulane University, it was $50,631.

Tuition at TCU climbed 56% since 2016, and it is not the only school to have raised the price, according to posted rates and federal data. Private, nonprofit four-year colleges nationwide raised tuition and fees an average of 74% over the last 30 years, according to the College Board.

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Meanwhile, tuition is also only a portion of the cost of attending college. Students typically also pay fees, room and board, and other expenses such as books and transportation. 

The total estimated cost of attendance for TCU this school year is $88,140, including tuition and such school-related expenses, according to the university’s website. TCU has not yet released room and board prices for next school year. 

Scholarships offered by TCU include those that are academic, athletic or fine arts performance based, while grants include those that are based on family income.

This summer, TCU announced a new program offering free tuition as well as housing and food cost assistance to eligible Texas students. To qualify, a student must live in Texas, be a Pell Grant recipient and come from a family with an adjusted gross income of below $70,000.

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For those who will pay tuition, the Fort Worth school will increase need-based aid by the same percentage as its tuition increase for pre-qualified students, according to the university’s website.

School officials determine how much need-based financial aid TCU can provide through annual budgeting that considers the operating needs and tuition cost, university spokesperson Holly Ellman said in a statement to the Report.

“Each year, the financial aid budget is evaluated and increased proportionally with tuition so that TCU can continue meeting demonstrated financial need and supporting access for students across income levels,” she wrote.

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About 80% of students receive some form of financial aid from the federal government, state or university, according to TCU’s website.

So, although prospective students may wince at rising tuition prices, you likely will not have to cover it all on your own — unless, of course, your father is the prosperous landman Norris.

McKinnon Rice is the higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at mckinnon.rice@fortworthreport.org. 

The Fort Worth Report partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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