Rising Tuition Costs Drive Texas Students To Non-College Paths

As college tuition keeps climbing and student debt looms like a thundercloud over many families, a growing number of students are asking a different question: “What if I don’t go to college?”

Turns out, that’s not just a passing thought—it’s a full-blown movement. According to a new study from the team at K12, there were over 1.44 million online searches this past year related to non-college paths like trade school, apprenticeships, and gap years.

Texas is Leading the Way

In a deep-dive analysis of search trends, job listings, and wage data across 99 major U.S. cities, three Texas cities—Dallas, Irving, and Garland—ranked in the top five overall for high school grads choosing to skip the traditional four-year route.

Here’s how the Lone Star State stacked up:

Irving ranks #1 in the entire country for no-degree job availability, meaning you can land solid work without a bachelor’s degree.
Dallas comes in at #2 for the same metric—plenty of opportunities without four years of tuition payments.
Garland rounds out the top five, showing strong support for non-college routes like trades, certifications, and more.
Arlington ranked #10 nationwide in search interest per capita for post-grad alternatives, including trade schools and apprenticeships.
And across the board, all 10 Texas cities studied tied for #16 in the U.S. for trade school access.

What Does it Mean?

This data points to a clear shift: more Texans are recognizing that college isn��t the only ticket to success—and in many cases, it may not even be the best one.

Whether it’s welding, HVAC, nursing, tech, or plumbing, trade careers are booming across Texas, and especially here on the South Plains. If you’ve got a Lubbock teen wondering what’s next, don’t sweat it—there’s a wide-open world of opportunity waiting that doesn’t require four years and a mountain of debt.

For a full breakdown of the study or to explore more options, visit k12.com.