by Dylan Baddour, Houston Chronicle
The University of Texas system became the largest public university system to offer free college-quality courses for open enrollment online, designed for high school students to get a head start on college. In October, UT wrapped up five massive open online courses (MOOCs), collectively with nearly 100,000 enrollees, which system officials said they hope will help buck the trend of soaring tuition and ballooning student debt that’s moved a university education out of reach of many Americans in recent decades. The average price for a degree in Texas has more than doubled since 2003, when state lawmakers voted to deregulate tuition, mirroring a national trend. During that time, real wages have dropped in the U.S. when adjusted for inflation.
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