Do Arkansas Residents Get In-State Tuition in Texas? (Undergraduate, 2026)
Yes — Arkansas and Texas run Texas Border-County Tuition Waiver, so Arkansas residents can pay the Texas in-state undergraduate rate of about $11,700 a year instead of the $42,000 non-resident rate at The University of Texas at Austin. Check the current terms before you apply.
- You would pay
- $11,700/yr
- Resident pays
- $11,700/yr
- Non-resident rate
- $42,000/yr
- Saved over 4 yrs
- $121,200
Conditional: Limited to students living in counties along the shared border — check the county list first.
Tuition and mandatory fees only, compiled from published rates and rounded. Excludes housing, books and course differentials. Eligibility is decided by the institution, not by this page.
Open this pair in the checker to switch level, compare other states, or copy a link to the result.
The two states negotiated this directly rather than through a regional compact. Texas Border-County Tuition Waiver is the result, and for undergraduate study it puts an Arkansas resident at roughly $11,700 a year at The University of Texas at Austin.
The comparison that matters is with home: University of Arkansas charges an Arkansas resident $10,300 a year. 12 other states offer Arkansas residents a reduced undergraduate rate, the lowest being Mississippi at about $9,900.
Before you count on it, check three things with the campus directly: that it participates this year, that your major is covered, and when its award deadline falls. All three change annually and none of them are set by the state.
Every route from Arkansas to Texas
| Route | What it gives you | Per year | Saving | Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Border-County Tuition Waiver | Texas statute lets designated public institutions waive non-resident tuition for students from specified counties in the four bordering states. It flows one way — into Texas — and it is a waiver granted by the institution, not a reciprocal exchange. | $11,700 | $30,300 | Conditional |
Where Arkansas residents pay less
Staying home, an Arkansas resident pays $10,300 a year for in-state undergraduate tuition at University of Arkansas. The cheapest Texas option for you is $11,700 at The University of Texas at Austin, which is $1,400 a year more than staying home, or $5,600 over 4 years.
Arkansas belongs to Academic Common Market (ACM) at undergraduate level, so 13 of 50 states offer Arkansas undergraduate students a reduced rate, and Texas is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas to Mississippi | Academic Common Market · University of Mississippi | $9,900 |
| Arkansas to West Virginia | Academic Common Market · West Virginia University | $9,900 |
| Arkansas to Maryland | Academic Common Market · University of Maryland, College Park | $11,900 |
| Arkansas to Louisiana | Academic Common Market · Louisiana State University | $12,000 |
| Arkansas to Oklahoma | Academic Common Market · University of Oklahoma | $12,000 |
Arkansas's neighboring states, compared
What an Arkansas resident pays for undergraduate tuition in each state that borders Arkansas, cheapest first:
- Mississippi$9,900/yr · Academic Common Market
- Texas$11,700/yr · Texas Border-County Tuition Waiver
- Louisiana$12,000/yr · Academic Common Market
- Oklahoma$12,000/yr · Academic Common Market
- Tennessee$14,100/yr · Academic Common Market
- Missouri$31,600/yr · non-resident
Compare all 50 states from Arkansas in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
Texas residency, in brief
Texas grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Tex. Educ. Code § 54.052), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Texas to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Texas residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Read the current terms of Texas Border-County Tuition Waiver — bilateral agreements are renegotiated and can narrow to specific campuses or majors between academic years.
- Apply through the channel the agreement specifies; several are administered by the home state's higher-education agency, not by the receiving campus.
- Provide proof of Arkansas residency in the form the agreement requires.
- If you fall outside the agreement's scope, fall back to the residency route: 12 months of Texas domicile.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do Arkansas residents get in-state tuition in Texas?
Effectively yes, through Texas Border-County Tuition Waiver, but it is not residency. You pay the in-state rate of about $11,700 while remaining an Arkansas resident for every other purpose, and the benefit ends if you leave the approved program.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Texas?
Texas requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Tex. Educ. Code § 54.052), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would undergraduate study in Texas actually cost an Arkansas resident?
About $11,700 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Texas Border-County Tuition Waiver, against $42,000 at the published non-resident rate and $11,700 for a Texas resident. Over 4 years that is roughly $121,200 saved. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can Arkansas residents get reduced undergraduate tuition?
In 13 states at undergraduate level. Outside Texas, the lowest are Mississippi ($9,900), West Virginia ($9,900), Maryland ($11,900). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Texas cheaper than staying in Arkansas?
No. Arkansas's in-state undergraduate rate is $10,300 a year at University of Arkansas, and the cheapest Texas option for an Arkansas resident is $11,700, so Texas costs about $1,400 more a year, or $5,600 over 4 years, in tuition and fees alone.
Sources
Every eligibility rule on this page is checked against the operating compact commission or the state's own residency authority. Last verified 2026-08-07.
Tuition figures on this page are compiled 2025–26 published rates (basis: published compiled), rounded to the nearest $100 and refreshed each June. Eligibility rules are checked against the cited compact commission or residency authority.
- Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- The University of Texas at Austin — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Arkansas — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
How this page was made
Compiled and checked by Billy Reiner, editor of In-State Check. Last verified 2026-08-07.
- Compiled from published rate pages
- The in-state and non-resident figures are tuition and mandatory fees for one full-time year, read from The University of Texas at Austin’s own 2025–26 rate page and rounded to the nearest $100. Housing, books, travel and course-specific differentials are not included in them.
- Checked against the administering body
- Compact membership at this level was checked against the commission that runs the program (SREB). The residency test — the durational requirement, the domicile evidence and the dependent-student rule — was checked against Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Tex. Educ. Code § 54.052. Nothing here is taken from another comparison site.
Not advice. In-State Check is independent of every college, compact and state agency named here. Residency classification and award decisions are made by the institution you apply to. Found an error? Send the page URL and the source that contradicts it to [email protected], and the page is corrected and re-dated. Full methodology.