During a Texas Tribune event on higher education, panelists also spoke about using the state’s historic surplus to improve the affordability of universities and keep rising costs down.

Some small private and for-profit Texas college and universities received Paycheck Protection Program loans to stay afloat and meet payroll. None of the state's public schools or largest private schools were eligible for the loans, though they have received other forms of federal aid. The loans were disclosed Monday by the Small Business Administration, which did not provide precise amounts of money each university or college received. Those ranges indicate that the Texas schools received at least $54 million combined. Most of the Texas colleges and universities that received PPP loans did not immediately respond to The Texas Tribunes request for comment.