There are many different kinds of colleges in Texas, just like the state itself. From one of the biggest schools in the country to a small liberal arts college with a beautiful campus, from art retreats in the desert to starting a business as an undergrad, these ten schools have everything a student needs to get a great start on a career in any field.
Students in Texas can choose to study on campus or online. This is called blended learning. If you want to know about the best colleges and universities in Texas, keep reading.
1. Rice University
Rice University, which has been around since 1912, is one of the top 20 schools in the US. It is very hard to get into, and only 11% of people who apply are accepted. The ratio of students to teachers at the university is 6:1. There are also 11 residential colleges and eight academic schools at the university. Rice is as prestigious, academically strong, and hard to get into as any Ivy League school in the north. William Marsh Rice gave the school to the city of Houston, where he had made a lot of money, as a gift.
The university is known for its programs in artificial hearts, space science, and nanotechnology. US News also says that it has the best program for getting a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. Students can also learn about architecture, business, engineering, the arts, and music, among other things.
2. University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin, which opened in 1883 and has 51,991 students and 3,133 faculty members, is one of the largest public schools in Texas. It has 13 schools and colleges as part of it. Its main goal is to help people learn in the classroom and in the community. If going to a bilingual education program is one of your career goals, you might want to think about this Austin college. UT Austin is not only a big school, but also a very good one. It is often included in a group of public colleges called the “Public Ivies” because it has the same prestige, benefits, and job opportunities as Ivy League schools.
The campus of this public school is known for being very beautiful. The university’s main campus is 431 acres in size. There are 17 libraries and 7 museums there. Also, the university has more than 1,300 student groups and 15 career centers, which makes it a great place to get career advice and find other student resources. Also, the university has a program to teach people how to code.
3. Southern Methodist University
A fight between the Methodist Church and Vanderbilt led to the creation of Southern Methodist University in 1911. Because of this, the church broke ties with Vanderbilt and made SMU its main school. SMU still has ties to the Methodist Church, but it does not teach from a religious perspective and accepts students from all faiths. Southern Methodist University has more than four million books in its eight libraries. This is the largest private collection of research materials in the Southwest. Southern Methodist University (SMU) has seven schools that offer 104 bachelor’s degrees, 113 master’s degrees, and 27 doctoral degrees. It also gives out one specialist degree and one doctoral-professional degree. Its Dedman School of Law and Cox School of Business are well-known for giving students in law and business an excellent education.
Three out of every four first-year students at a university get a grant or scholarship. There are 237 acres of land that make up the main campus. It is made up of the George W. Bush Presidential Center and seven libraries. The university also has two more campuses, called the Taos campus and the Plano campus, which offer more programs. The SMU-in-Taos program is for the best students who want to study in New Mexico.
4. Texas A&M University
Texas A&M is the second largest university in the country. It began as a military school, and its Corps of Cadets is now the largest group of uniformed students outside of the U.S. military academies. Reveille, the rough collie who is Texas A&M’s mascot, is the most important member of the Corps of Cadets. She is also known as the “First Lady of Aggieland.” Reveille IX retired in 2021, and Reveille X took over as the campus mascot. Students at Texas A&M University can choose from 130 different courses in fields like business, agriculture, and engineering. In terms of how much tuition costs, it is the best public university in Texas in terms of value. About 72% of students get help paying for school through grants, scholarships, waivers, and jobs on campus.
U.S. News & World Report says that it has the second-best graduate school for petroleum engineering and the fourth-best graduate school for nuclear engineering. United States Senior Military Colleges also includes Texas A&M University. Because of this, every year it has both civilian students and volunteer corps of cadets.
5. Baylor University
Baylor University is the oldest university in Texas that has always been open. It was started in 1845 by Baptist pioneers working for the Republic of Texas. Service is an important part of life at Baylor. The university has the first campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and students, faculty, and staff volunteer more than 150,000 hours of community service each year.
Baylor University is the world’s biggest Baptist college. It has a large campus of 1,000 acres near the Brazos River. The school has 126 bachelor’s degree programs, 80 master’s degree programs, and 47 doctoral degree programs. Some of its law, business, and science graduate programs are among the best in the country. 68% of people who apply to the university get in.
6. Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University (TCU) was founded in 1873 as a college where both men and women could get a classical education and build character. It was one of the first schools in the Southwest to accept both men and women. Even though TCU is named for and has ties to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ, a Protestant group with roots in Presbyterianism and Baptistism), it is not only for Christians. TCU is home to people of more than 60 different faiths and backgrounds, and Christian classes are not required.
Every year, more than 11,000 students come to Texas Christian University. There are many scholarship opportunities at the university, and there are also ways to get financial aid to help pay for tuition. As many as 77 percent of Texas Christian University students get help paying for school. U.S. News & World Report says that it has the best online graduate program for criminal justice.
7. University of Texas at Dallas
Texas is known for football, thanks to the Dallas Cowboys and TV shows like Friday Night Lights. Because of this, it’s surprising that UT Dallas doesn’t have a football team. What the school does have is a well-known chess team. Since the program began in 1996, 24 Grandmasters and International Masters have played for UT Dallas. In 17 of the last 20 Final Four Collegiate Chess Tournaments, the UTD chess team has been there. Aside from chess, UT Dallas is known for its top-ranked science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs. The three founders of Texas Instruments started the college in the 1960s.
There are a lot of scholarship programs and credit courses for all types of students at the University of Texas at Dallas, including transfer students, international students, graduate students, and students who are already there. All first-year students who are accepted to the university are considered for the Academic Excellence Scholarship (AES) Award.
8. University of Houston
The University of Houston is the second most ethnically diverse large research university in the United States. It is both an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution and a Hispanic Serving Institution. About 90% of University of Houston students are from Texas, but there are also students from more than 137 other countries. The University of Houston wants low-income and middle-income families to be able to go to college. Through the Cougar Promise, the college gives free tuition to students from families with incomes of $65,000 or less, and it helps pay for the tuition of students from families with incomes of $65,000 to $125,000.
Students in their first year of college can choose from 358 majors and minors. The best undergraduate entrepreneurship program in the US is at the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston. There are also 36 research centers at the school that study things like space travel, artificial intelligence, and biomedical engineering.
9. Texas Tech University
In Lubbock, on the South Plains of West Texas, Texas Tech University is a public research university. It was founded in 1923 and is now one of five schools that are part of the Texas Tech University System. It is a good choice for online students because it offers a well-rounded learning experience through a mix of online and offline courses. It gives out more than 150 bachelor’s degrees, 100 master’s degrees, and 50 doctorates.
The university was on the list of 2022’s Best Online Programs by US News and World Report. In 2019, Texas Tech was fully recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Hispanic students and students from other groups that aren’t well-represented can find affordable ways to learn, get online degrees, and use important student resources.
10. Trinity University
In 1869, the Presbyterian Church started Trinity University, which has programs in the liberal arts and in getting ready for a career. Every degree from Trinity is based on the “Pathways” curriculum, which has six required courses and three extra ones that students can choose to take. Trinity is on a hilltop with a view of San Antonio, which is the seventh largest city in the United States. The campus is known for its red brick buildings and oak trees.