Worked example · Dallas area
Two years at Dallas College, then two years at UNT Denton
This page compares published tuition and fees only. Housing, books, course fees, and financial aid are omitted because mixing them in without a family's FAFSA is how directories invent savings. This is a published-price map, not a named state program.
Siblings: Austin ACC → Texas State / UT Austin · Houston HCC → Texas State · Alamo Colleges → UTSA · TCC → UNT Denton · EPCC → UTEP · SPC → Texas Tech · Del Mar → TAMU-CC · TJC → UT Tyler · AC → WTAMU · STC → UTRGV · TSC → UTRGV · LC → TAMIU · MCC → TAMUCT · LIT → LU · OC → UTPB · VC → TAMUV · TC → TAMUT · Vernon → MSU · Cisco → ASU · Blinn → TAMU · GC → UHCL · CTC → TAMUCT · AC → SFA · NCTC → TWU · TCC → UTA (Arlington) · Dallas College → UT Dallas · Blinn → Prairie View A&M · Alamo → A&M–San Antonio · HCC → UH–Downtown · Dallas College → UNT Dallas · HCC → Texas Southern · SJC → UH · LSC → UH · Collin College → UT Dallas · Kilgore College → UT Tyler · Grayson College → UNT (Denton) · WCJC → UH (Sugar Land) · Navarro College → ETAMU.
The question
A Dallas-area Texas resident wants a public bachelor's. Path A: enter the University of North Texas at Denton as a freshman and stay four years. Path B: complete about 60 transferable semester hours at Dallas College at the Dallas County rate, including Core Curriculum and — where it exists — a Field of Study, then finish two years at UNT Denton. Does Path B show a lower published tuition-and-fee total?
We pair Dallas College with UNT Denton because UNT publishes one Texas-resident undergraduate tuition-and-fees line for 15 hours fall and 15 hours spring. We do not use UT Dallas here: its bursar examples omit course fees, so a single UTD sticker would understate the university side. We also do not use a University of Houston campus-wide number; UH says rates vary by college. Texas Direct is credit application plus a THECB associate degree under Texas Education Code §61.834. It does not reserve a university seat. Admission is not guaranteed.
Published rates used
| Item | Published figure | How we use it |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas College, Dallas County resident | $99 per semester credit hour; $297 per three-hour class; $1,188 for a published 12-hour load | 60-hour math is pack arithmetic, not a Dallas College printed total: $99 × 60 = $5,940 |
| Dallas College, out-of-county Texas resident | $169 per semester credit hour | 60 hours × $169 = $10,140 — shown as a warning, not the default cell |
| Dallas College, out-of-state / out-of-country | $250 per credit hour, with a $250 minimum | Not used in the default map |
| Dallas College third-attempt and excess-hours charges | +$50 per credit hour may apply | Not folded into the default 60-hour cell |
| UNT Denton, Texas-resident undergraduate tuition and fees | $12,092 per academic year (15 hours per semester, Fall + Spring, 2026–2027) | 2 years = $24,184; 4 years = $48,368 |
| Texas State, Texas resident tuition and fees | $12,240 per academic year (15 + 15 hours, 2026–2027) | Optional second map: 2 years = $24,480; 4 years = $48,960 |
Sources retrieved August 29, 2026: Dallas College; University of North Texas (Denton); Texas State University Admissions. All sources
Dallas College → UNT Denton versus four years at UNT Denton
| Map | Published tuition & fees |
|---|---|
| Dallas County 60 hours ($99 × 60) + 2 UNT years | $5,940 + $24,184 = $30,124 |
| 4 UNT years at the same annual line | $12,092 × 4 = $48,368 |
| Difference in these published lines | $18,244 lower on the 2+2 map — a sticker difference, not a savings guarantee |
Sources retrieved August 29, 2026: Dallas College; University of North Texas (Denton). All sources
Same Dallas County start, Texas State as the receiving public
| Map | Published tuition & fees |
|---|---|
| Dallas County 60 hours + 2 years Texas State | $5,940 + $24,480 = $30,420 |
| 4 years Texas State at the same annual line | $12,240 × 4 = $48,960 |
| Difference in these published lines | $18,540 lower on the 2+2 map — again a sticker difference, not a savings guarantee |
Sources retrieved August 29, 2026: Dallas College; Texas State University Admissions. All sources
What has to be true for the sticker gap to be real
- The Dallas County $99 rate actually applies to this address. Dallas College lists out-of-county residents at $169 per credit hour. 60 hours at that rate is $10,140, which changes the comparison. Out-of-state / out-of-country is $250 per hour with a $250 minimum.
- The university admits you as a transfer student. Texas Direct is credit application and, when Core plus Field of Study are complete, a THECB associate degree (TEC §61.834). It does not reserve a seat. Admission is not guaranteed.
- The hours apply to the major. Use a completed Field of Study when THECB says it is complete. See Texas Direct.
- You do not add a fifth year. Extra semesters at university rates erase the gap.
- You are not paying Dallas College's extra +$50 per credit hour for a third attempt or for hours over the state maximum for the degree. Those charges are published; they are not in the $5,940 cell.
What we omitted on purpose
UNT's 2026–2027 undergraduate cost-of-attendance table lists housing and food separately (for example $12,106 on campus). Texas State lists housing and food at $13,330 for 2026–2027. College Scorecard's average annual cost is net price after grants for first-time aid recipients. None of those belong in a sticker-tuition table, so they are not added here.
Sources retrieved September 8, 2026: University of North Texas (Denton); Texas State University Admissions; Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; Texas Constitution and Statutes. All sources
Directory pages stay free. Published by Plain Steps. Optional $19 Texas Direct 2+2 worksheet.