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Texas A&M University has spent more than $3.25 million since 2020 on sponsoring foreign workers through the H-1B visa program, according to records obtained by The Dallas Express. The spending has raised questions about whether the public university is giving preference to overseas workers instead of training and hiring Texans.
The records show Texas A&M spent $3,252,339.17 on H-1B visa fees and related processing costs between January 1, 2020, and late November 2025. The disclosures came after months of delays and a formal complaint filed with the Texas Attorney General, which remains unresolved. The expenses include costs tied to the full visa process, including steps toward permanent residency after the visa expires.
This information has emerged as public debate grows over how reliance on foreign labor by public universities affects jobs, wages, and workforce demographics in Texas. Many of the roles linked to the filings are not highly specialized positions.
Data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services H-1B Data Hub show that Texas A&M approved 659 H-1B workers between 2020 and September 30, 2025, the latest period available. Across the full Texas A&M System, which includes entities such as AgriLife Extension and Texas A&M University at Galveston, approved H-1B workers exceed 1,400.
(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)
Federal data show most H-1B visas nationwide go to workers from India and China. According to USCIS figures, 72% of H-1B visas are awarded to workers from India and about 12% to workers from China.
The H-1B Salary Database, which tracks labor condition applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, shows that most of Texas A&M’s filings in 2025 were for lower-level instructional roles. Other filings were for non-instructional positions, including Graphic Designer II, Communications Manager, and software application developer.
Archived job postings for some of these roles show requirements of a bachelor’s degree in computer science and at least three years of experience. These filings were made during a period when computer science graduates faced a 6.1% unemployment rate and a 16.5% underemployment rate, according to a 2025 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Active job listings on ZipRecruiter show the university employs several immigration specialists, with starting salaries ranging from $47,000 to $55,000, to manage its foreign labor hiring processes.
The records do not show Texas A&M has paid the $100,000 fee imposed by the Trump administration on most new H-1B visa applications starting in September 2025, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Some entries also reference EB-2 or O-1 visas, though it is unclear why they appear in the records.
Texas A&M’s spending on H-1B visas is higher than that of other Texas universities. The University of Texas at Dallas spent $1,103,165 to hire about 300 H-1B workers between September 2020 and August 2025, based on records obtained earlier by The Dallas Express. During a similar period, Texas A&M spent nearly three times as much while hiring just over twice as many workers.
The Dallas Express asked Texas A&M leadership why the university spends millions on foreign labor instead of using those funds to train its own students for similar roles. The university president did not respond before publication.
The spending comes as Texas A&M remains dependent on international students for revenue. Previous reporting by The Dallas Express found international students generated more than $106 million in tuition and fees during the 2024–2025 academic year, with India and China accounting for the largest share.
Other states are taking different approaches. In Florida, the Board of Governors is considering a policy that would block public universities from hiring new H-1B workers through January 5, 2027, following Gov. Ron DeSantis’s directive to prioritize U.S. citizens for university jobs, according to Inside Higher Ed.
In a press release supporting the H-1B program, the American Association of University Professors said the program is a “critical path for the United States to attract highly skilled professionals from around the world to fill urgent needs in the economy and public services to strengthen American innovation.”
Critics argue the program is used to lower labor costs. “In fiscal year 2019, 60 percent of H-1B positions were paid at the lowest two levels, meaning they were paid below the median wage for the occupation and location,” the AFL-CIO’s 2025 H-1B fact sheet said.
For Texas A&M, the records add new detail to ongoing questions about transparency and priorities at one of the state’s largest public universities, with further review expected as the attorney general examines the pending complaint.
The records show Texas A&M spent $3,252,339.17 on H-1B visa fees and related processing costs between January 1, 2020, and late November 2025. The disclosures came after months of delays and a formal complaint filed with the Texas Attorney General, which remains unresolved. The expenses include costs tied to the full visa process, including steps toward permanent residency after the visa expires.
This information has emerged as public debate grows over how reliance on foreign labor by public universities affects jobs, wages, and workforce demographics in Texas. Many of the roles linked to the filings are not highly specialized positions.
Data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services H-1B Data Hub show that Texas A&M approved 659 H-1B workers between 2020 and September 30, 2025, the latest period available. Across the full Texas A&M System, which includes entities such as AgriLife Extension and Texas A&M University at Galveston, approved H-1B workers exceed 1,400.
(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)
Federal data show most H-1B visas nationwide go to workers from India and China. According to USCIS figures, 72% of H-1B visas are awarded to workers from India and about 12% to workers from China.
The H-1B Salary Database, which tracks labor condition applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, shows that most of Texas A&M’s filings in 2025 were for lower-level instructional roles. Other filings were for non-instructional positions, including Graphic Designer II, Communications Manager, and software application developer.
Archived job postings for some of these roles show requirements of a bachelor’s degree in computer science and at least three years of experience. These filings were made during a period when computer science graduates faced a 6.1% unemployment rate and a 16.5% underemployment rate, according to a 2025 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Active job listings on ZipRecruiter show the university employs several immigration specialists, with starting salaries ranging from $47,000 to $55,000, to manage its foreign labor hiring processes.
The records do not show Texas A&M has paid the $100,000 fee imposed by the Trump administration on most new H-1B visa applications starting in September 2025, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Some entries also reference EB-2 or O-1 visas, though it is unclear why they appear in the records.
Texas A&M’s spending on H-1B visas is higher than that of other Texas universities. The University of Texas at Dallas spent $1,103,165 to hire about 300 H-1B workers between September 2020 and August 2025, based on records obtained earlier by The Dallas Express. During a similar period, Texas A&M spent nearly three times as much while hiring just over twice as many workers.
The Dallas Express asked Texas A&M leadership why the university spends millions on foreign labor instead of using those funds to train its own students for similar roles. The university president did not respond before publication.
The spending comes as Texas A&M remains dependent on international students for revenue. Previous reporting by The Dallas Express found international students generated more than $106 million in tuition and fees during the 2024–2025 academic year, with India and China accounting for the largest share.
Other states are taking different approaches. In Florida, the Board of Governors is considering a policy that would block public universities from hiring new H-1B workers through January 5, 2027, following Gov. Ron DeSantis’s directive to prioritize U.S. citizens for university jobs, according to Inside Higher Ed.
In a press release supporting the H-1B program, the American Association of University Professors said the program is a “critical path for the United States to attract highly skilled professionals from around the world to fill urgent needs in the economy and public services to strengthen American innovation.”
Critics argue the program is used to lower labor costs. “In fiscal year 2019, 60 percent of H-1B positions were paid at the lowest two levels, meaning they were paid below the median wage for the occupation and location,” the AFL-CIO’s 2025 H-1B fact sheet said.
For Texas A&M, the records add new detail to ongoing questions about transparency and priorities at one of the state’s largest public universities, with further review expected as the attorney general examines the pending complaint.
