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Why This Matters

  • 136 FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES IN TEXAS

    According to College Navigator, the four-year colleges in Texas include 62 public and 74 private non-profit options.

  • $11,139 AVERAGE IN-STATE TUITION & FEES

    For the 2022-23 school year, the average in-state tuition for public four-year colleges in Texas is $11,139, according to College Board.

  • $15,330 AVERAGE FINANCIAL AID

    In the U.S., full-time undergraduate students attending college in 2021-22 received an average of $15,330 per year in financial aid.

Our Research

This list features some of the best brick-and-mortar colleges in Texas. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality. We included liberal arts colleges and research universities as well as small, midsize, and large institutions. Next, we compared this comprehensive list to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications, such as U.S. News & World Report, to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.

The colleges on our list are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — this organization examines the objectives, quality, and overall effectiveness of higher education programs in the southern United States.

We evaluated each school on tuition costs, admission standards, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation as well as the resources and services provided for on-campus students. Then, we used this information to calculate the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.

Online College Programs That Might Interest You

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

The Top 50 Colleges in Texas

Best Colleges In Texas
01

The University of Texas at Austin
01

Rice University
01

Southern Methodist University
01

Texas A&M University
01

Texas Christian University
01

Trinity University
01

Baylor University
01

Texas Tech University
01

University of Houston
01

University of Texas at Dallas
01

West Texas A&M University
01

University of North Texas
01

Texas State University
01

LeTourneau University
01

University of Texas at Arlington
01

Abilene Christian University
01

University of Dallas
01

Southwestern University
01

Austin College
01

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
01

Sam Houston State University
01

St. Mary's University
01

Hallmark University
01

Prairie View A&M University
01

University of Texas at San Antonio
01

University of the Incarnate Word
01

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin
01

Texas Woman's University
01

University of St. Thomas
01

The University of Texas at Tyler
01

Southwestern Adventist University
01

Lubbock Christian University
01

Midwestern State University
01

University of Texas at El Paso
01

Stephen F. Austin State University
01

Texas Southern University
01

Tarleton State University
01

Angelo State University
01

Dallas Baptist University
01

Texas A&M International University
01

University of Houston at Clear Lake
01

Lamar University
01

Concordia University Texas
01

McMurry University
01

Houston Christian University
01

Our Lady of the Lake University

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What You Should Know About Graduating From College in Texas

As you evaluate college options in Texas, you should consider how a degree will prepare you to enter the state’s workforce. The five largest industries in Texas are office and administrative support occupations, transportation and material moving, sales, food preparation and serving, and management.

Also, the five careers for workers with a bachelor’s degree that are seeing the most job growth within the state are data scientists, information security analysts, logisticians, medical and health services managers, and operations research analysts.

Texas is a large state that has many companies employing thousands of people, and a number of employers even have tens of thousands of people working for them. A few of the state’s largest employers include the University of Texas at Austin, the MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Texas Department of Transportation, UTMB Health Diagnostic Imaging, and Chevron.

What’s Next?

When researching Texas’s college options, pay attention to financial aid. The following state and federal resources can help you with identifying grant, scholarship, and other financial aid opportunities in Texas:

  • Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Find detailed information on in-state tuition eligibility requirements and state education loans from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
  • Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Provided by the U.S. Department of Education, FAFSA is the main form students use to apply for financial aid for college. To determine if you’re eligible for aid, submit a completed FAFSA form online.
  • CareerOneStop Scholarship Finder. This tool will show you available scholarships, grants, and loans and can be filtered by state and degree type. It includes information such as dollar amounts, how to apply, qualifications, deadlines, and contact details.

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