Lamar State College Port Arthur is leading the way as all of the Lamar State Colleges are reporting strong year-over-year enrollment gains.

The success is spurred by a 25 percent tuition cut that took effect in the fall.

Dr. Betty Reynard, president of Lamar State College Port Arthur, said the tuition drop happened at the best time when considering the impact of Hurricane Harvey and Tropical Storm Imelda on the residents of Port Arthur and surrounding communities.

“This additional funding has allowed more of our residents to pursue an education without having to sacrifice the necessities of life to do so,” she said. “It has been a godsend for our region.”

Lamar State College Port Arthur, Lamar Institute of Technology and Lamar State College Orange — known collectively as the Lamar State Colleges — are showing dramatic increases.

Across the three institutions, headcount enrollment increased 11 percent, from 7,369 students in Spring 2019 to 8,153 this spring.

Over the same period, student contact hours grew from 1.47 million to 1.62 million, an increase of 10 percent.

Locally, LSCPA Spring Semester Enrollment tells a similar story:

• Spring 2016: 1,755
• Spring 2017: 2,089 (19.03 percent increase)
• Spring 2018: 1,980 (5.2 percent decrease, Harvey impact)
• Spring 2019: 2,375 (19.95 percent increase)
• Spring 2020: 2,460 (3.6 percent increase)
• 40.2 percent increase over a five-year period

Brian McCall, chancellor of the Texas State University System, said the tuition cut encourages students to enroll earlier than planned, take extra classes and work fewer hours.

“The enrollment growth we’ve seen across the region validates the legislature’s decision to invest in our institutions and students,” McCall said.

The Texas Legislature approved $17.3 million in new funding in 2019 to narrow the tuition gap between the Lamar State Colleges and Texas community colleges.

The three state colleges — unlike community colleges — do not receive local tax revenue and, as a result, have charged comparatively higher tuition to make up the difference.

“The Lamar State Colleges are just beginning to see the impact of these tuition cuts,” McCall said. “We fully expect additional growth next fall as more people across Southeast Texas learn about the great value that our institutions provide.”

The Texas State University System is Texas’ first university system, consisting of seven institutions serving more than 86,000 students.