Texas A&M Offers In-State Tuition For Civilian US Coast Guard Degree Programs

Texas A&M University is offering in-state tuition for all incoming U.S. undergraduate students who select a U.S. Coast Guard license program offered at its Galveston campus beginning the 2025 fall semester. The move aims to offset the national shortage of maritime professionals in fields critical to national security and economic prosperity. 

“Most of us are blind to maritime activities. The banana you ate this morning, the clothes you put on, the phone you’re holding right now — a maritime professional made that possible,” said Col. Michael E. Fossum, vice president of Texas A&M, chief operating officer of the Galveston campus and superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. “Employers are literally knocking at our door, desperate for skilled employees. Reducing cost barriers to attract students outside Texas brings us one step closer to keeping up with the demand.” 

The in-state tuition rate applies to four specialized undergraduate degree programs in the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies that integrate civilian U.S. Coast Guard officer training by the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. Students in these programs apply classroom theory in real-world settings during semesters at sea onboard the academy’s training ship or with commercial companies, earning valuable experience that often earns an employment offer before graduation. Nearly 90% of graduates report immediate employment after graduation with well-paying jobs in careers such as port and vessel operations, marine engineering and offshore energy development.   

The maritime workforce shortage has been called a national economic and security crisis by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration. The shortage is especially relevant in Texas, the nation’s top exporter, which relies on maritime industries for 28% of its gross domestic product and estimates approximately 80% of its port cargo is produced or consumed by Texans.  

Offering in-state tuition for U.S. Coast Guard degree programs is just one method the university is using to offset the maritime worker shortages and support the blue economy. Over the past four years, Texas A&M has transformed its branch campus, Texas A&M University at Galveston, into an experiential hub of marine, maritime and coastal education, innovation and service. In the past year, the campus gained a new marine and maritime college, began preparations to receive a new state-of-the-art training ship and broke ground on a new engineering building.  

The Galveston campus is also home to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, the only state maritime academy in the southern U.S. and a federally designated American Maritime Center of Excellence. In collaboration with the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies, the academy trains students to become civilian U.S. Coast Guard-licensed officers and joins five other state maritime academies as the primary provider of civilian officers for the maritime workforce. The academy also supports national security through its programs commissioning active and reserve duty officers into the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard.  

Combined, the Galveston campus boasts the nation’s most comprehensive collection of coastal, marine and maritime activities in education, research and service. Investment in the blue economy is part of the university’s sea-grant mission to improve lives and livelihoods through education, discovery and innovation in areas essential to state and national prosperity.