State Hub

Colleges in Texas

CampusPin tracks 234 colleges in Texas, 142 universities and 92 community colleges. Compare tuition, acceptance, size, and setting to build a shortlist that fits.

Colleges tracked

234

Universities

142

Community colleges

92

Avg. in-state tuition

$14k

About college search in Texas

How Texas's higher-education landscape shapes a search

Texas operates one of the largest public higher-education sectors in the U.S., organized around six public university systems: The University of Texas System (UT Austin flagship plus 8 other academic institutions), The Texas A&M University System (Texas A&M flagship plus 10 other institutions including Prairie View A&M HBCU), the Texas State University System, the University of Houston System, the University of North Texas System, and the Texas Tech University System. Texas also runs 50 community college districts, one of the larger CC networks in the country, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) coordinates statewide policy and the Texas Common Course Numbering System.

Texas has unique policies that shape college search. The Top 10% Rule guarantees admission to most Texas public universities for students who graduate in the top 10% of their Texas high school class (UT Austin uses a higher cap that has fluctuated around the top 5–6% in recent years). The Texas Tomorrow Fund / Texas Tuition Promise Fund prepay programs and the TEXAS Grant reduce in-state cost for eligible families. Verify current admissions guarantees and aid eligibility directly with the institution.

Six public university systems

Texas’s public four-year sector is organized into six systems: UT, Texas A&M, Texas State, University of Houston, University of North Texas, and Texas Tech. Each governs multiple institutions.

50 community college districts

Texas operates 50 community college districts including Houston CC, Dallas College, Austin CC, Lone Star, and the Alamo Colleges. The Texas Common Course Numbering System formalizes credit transfer.

Top 10% Rule

Texas guarantees admission to most public universities for students in the top 10% of their Texas high school class. UT Austin has used a higher cap (recently the top 5–6%). Verify with the institution.

Multiple HBCUs

Texas hosts public HBCUs Prairie View A&M (Texas A&M System) and Texas Southern University (Houston), plus private HBCUs Huston-Tillotson (Austin), Wiley (Marshall), Jarvis Christian (Hawkins), and Texas College (Tyler).

Public university system

Six public university systems coordinated by THECB

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) coordinates statewide policy across six independent public university systems: UT, Texas A&M, Texas State, University of Houston, University of North Texas, and Texas Tech.

Community college network

Texas’s 50 community college districts

Texas operates 50 independent community college districts. The Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) standardizes course numbering across community colleges and public universities to formalize credit transfer.

In-state vs. out-of-state tuition

Texas in-state public tuition is in the mid-range nationally; out-of-state rates are substantially higher. The Top 10% Rule reshapes admissions for in-state students. Verify residency rules with the institution, Texas closely scrutinizes residency claims.

Top metros for college search

Where Texas's higher-education density concentrates

  • Houston

    Houston anchors Rice (private), the University of Houston, Texas Southern (HBCU), the University of St. Thomas, and Houston Community College.

  • Dallas-Fort Worth

    DFW hosts SMU (private), UT Dallas, UT Arlington, UNT (Denton), TCU (Fort Worth), Dallas College, and Tarrant County College.

  • Austin

    Austin is built around UT Austin (the state’s primary public flagship), Austin Community College, St. Edward’s, and Huston-Tillotson (HBCU).

  • San Antonio

    San Antonio hosts UTSA, Trinity (private), St. Mary’s, the University of the Incarnate Word, and the Alamo Colleges.

  • College Station / Bryan

    College Station is built around Texas A&M University, the state’s major land-grant and second flagship.

  • Lubbock

    Lubbock is the home of Texas Tech University and South Plains College in nearby Levelland.

What Texas actually costs

Median net price after grants
$11,426 for families under $30,000
$21,829 at $110,000 or more
Across 145 Texas colleges reporting the full series. All five income bands
Median federal debt at graduation
$14,267 with 42.8% borrowing
Debt without the borrower share is misleading, so CampusPin never shows one alone. Debt by college
Studying entirely online
22% of Texas students
Federal enrolment collection, weighted by students rather than campuses. Where they study

Every college we track

Colleges and universities in Texas

Showing the 100 largest by enrollment of 234, grouped A to Z. Enrollment reflects size only and is not a measure of quality. Use search or filters to see the rest.

Filter all Texas schools

L

S

T

U

South region overview

What students weigh when searching colleges in Texas

Across Texas (TX), CampusPin currently indexes 234 institutions: 102 public and 132 private, split between 142 universities and 92 community colleges. Students often compare fast-growing metros, flagship publics, regional campuses, and cost-sensitive pathways across a wide mix of institutions.

Run one search for broad public options and another for community-college or commuter-oriented pathways.
Check campus setting and support services early because regional fit can vary more than names alone suggest.
Keep cost, transfer, and online flexibility visible if location is important but not completely fixed.

Browse by major

Texas colleges by program

Jump straight to Texas colleges and universities that offer a specific major. Each page compares tuition, acceptance rate, and enrollment for that program across Texas.

Fields with a distinct set of Texas colleges

169 fields where the colleges that awarded credentials in Texas are a materially different set from those of any closely related field, based on federal completions data. Showing the 36 with the most colleges. The number is how many colleges awarded credentials.

How to use the Texas hub

Start with CampusPin results filtered to Texas so your first pass stays geographically focused.
Use school profiles to compare tuition, admissions, program format, and campus fit before building a shortlist.
If you are looking for lower-cost or transfer-first options, compare community colleges and four-year destinations separately.
Use blog guides and help-center content when you need stronger decision frameworks, not just more schools.

Next actions for Texas

Explore all colleges in TexasView community colleges in TexasView online programs in TexasRead planning guides before you compare

Frequently asked questions

Questions families ask about colleges in Texas

Which is the public flagship university in Texas?
Texas has two primary public flagships: the University of Texas at Austin (the state’s major research university) and Texas A&M University in College Station (the state’s major land-grant institution). Both are members of separate university systems.
How does the Texas Top 10% Rule work?
Texas guarantees admission to most public universities for students who graduate in the top 10% of their Texas high school class. UT Austin has used a higher cap in recent years (around the top 5–6%) to manage capacity. The rule applies to Texas high school students only, verify current admissions guarantees with the institution.
How many HBCUs are in Texas?
Texas has nine HBCUs, including two public (Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern) and seven private (including Huston-Tillotson, Wiley, Jarvis Christian, Paul Quinn, and Texas College).
What are the largest community colleges in Texas?
Texas’s largest community college districts include Houston Community College, Dallas College, Lone Star College (Houston area), Austin Community College, Alamo Colleges (San Antonio), and Tarrant County College (DFW). All operate multiple campuses across their service areas.
How does the Texas Common Course Numbering System help transfer students?
The Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) assigns standardized course numbers to lower-division courses across Texas community colleges and public universities. Credits taken under a TCCNS number transfer between participating institutions with equivalent credit, reducing the risk of lost credit when transferring.
How many Texas colleges are flagged for lower earnings on the FAFSA?
84 schools in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 320 Texas schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release flagged 119: 45 came off and 10 were added. Every one is named in the Texas section of CampusPin's FAFSA lower earnings list. The notice is informational and does not affect financial aid, and it describes a whole school, not a program.
How many Texas colleges cost more than a family can borrow from the federal government?
For families earning under $30,000, 15 of the 145 Texas colleges reporting the complete federal net-price series charge more after grants than the $25,500 a first-year dependent student and their parents can borrow federally from 1 July 2026; the median college there charges $11,426. For families earning $48,001–$75,000 it is 21 (median $14,602). Net prices are averages for students who received federal aid in a prior cohort, not a quote for any family, and Parent PLUS requires no adverse credit history.

Related blog clusters

Guides that pair well with a Texas search

Cost and Financial Aid

College affordability, net price, aid interpretation, borrowing decisions, and budgeting guidance for students and families using CampusPin to compare higher-ed options with more discipline.

Community College

Community-college strategy, affordability, transfer readiness, and credential pathway content for students exploring two-year options through CampusPin.

College Search Strategy

Filter-first search strategy, shortlist building, and planning content for students and parents using CampusPin to discover best-fit colleges and universities.

Help Center

Workflow guides for students searching in Texas

Getting Started With CampusPin

A fast orientation to the CampusPin workflow, from your first search through profile review, pins, and next-step planning.

How to Use Filters to Narrow Your College List

A practical help article on how to use CampusPin filters without over-filtering or locking yourself into the wrong criteria too early.

How to Read a CampusPin School Profile

A guide to the major sections inside a CampusPin institution profile and how to interpret them effectively. Each page connects to clearer next steps, related guides, and the CampusPin tools that help you decide.

CampusPin research

National analyses with Texas in the data

Each report is built from a checksum-verified snapshot, with full methodology and a downloadable CSV that includes Texas.

Comparing schools on price? See our national analysis of how college cost relates to graduation and earnings, an association driven by selectivity and sector, not evidence that a pricier college pays off.

Explore Texas

More ways to explore Texas colleges

By city

Colleges in Texas cities

CampusPin publishes a directory for 6 cities in Texas, every one where federal data reports at least five colleges.

Browse colleges by city nationwide

What this count of 234 includes

Other sites publish very different totals for Texas, and most do not say what they are counting. Here is exactly what this one counts, so you can check it against anyone else's.

By level
142 listed as universities and 92 as community colleges. CampusPin records this as an institution type, and uses it as an approximation of four-year versus two-year; it is not a separately reported degree-level field.
By control
102 public and 132 private. CampusPin records control as public or private only, so private nonprofit and private for-profit institutions are not separated here.
  • Every institution counted has its own CampusPin profile listing the figures behind it and where each one came from, so the total can be checked against its parts rather than taken on trust.
  • This is CampusPin's directory of 3,798 institutions nationwide, not the full federal universe. NCES counted 5,829 Title IV institutions, administrative offices, and U.S. service academies nationwide for 2024-25. That figure includes entities a student would never apply to, which is one reason published totals differ so widely.
  • Figures come from federal sources on a reporting lag, so a very new or very recently closed institution may not be reflected yet. Found something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.
Full data methodologyCoverage and data quality

Data sources & methodology

College listings for Texas are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own published information.

Sources used across this page

Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.

  • IPEDS / NCES College Navigator

    Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.

  • U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

    Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.

  • Institutional websites

    Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.

Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.

Methodology Data dictionary Report a correction

Suggested citation

CampusPin. Colleges in Texas. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/colleges-by-state/texas