The lone star state has a lot of colleges. Texas is not only the second-largest state, but it’s in third place when it comes to the number of colleges and universities with over 350 institutions. With so many colleges, it can be hard to know where to start. If your heart is set on going to school in Texas, you should start with these Southern college favorites.
Rice
Rice, technically William Marsh Rice University, is a private research university in the museum district of Houston, TX. Rice is probably the most competitive college to get into in Texas with around an 8% acceptance rate. They have an undergraduate population of about 4k and are most famous for their applied science programs.
UT Austin
UT Austin is a large (about 41K undergrads) public research university in Austin, TX. UT Austin is one of many UTs. UT Dallas is another school that almost made this list. UT Austin however is not only the most prestigious of the UT system, but it also has one of the most popular locations of the UT system. UT Austin has about a 31% acceptance rate, however, in-state students are accepted at a higher rate, making it more competitive for out-of-state candidates.
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M is a public university in College Station, Texas. For those unfamiliar, College Station is a college town about an hour and a half outside of Houston. Everything is bigger in Texas and Texas A&M is no exception. With about 56k undergrads and more than 5,200 acres, A&M is one of the biggest schools out there. Their acceptance rate is in the high 50s and they are famous for programs in engineering, technology, and agriculture. However, they offer more than 130 undergraduate degrees, so don’t worry if you are not a math and science person.
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University or SMU is a private university outside of Dallas, Texas. The school is nonsectarian in its teaching ie while methodist is in the name, you don’t have to be a methodist to go there. They have around a 50% acceptance rate and popular business and engineering schools.
Baylor University
Baylor is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. The school offers over 140 degrees and great research opportunities. We need to tell you however, we often talk about how you don’t need to be religious to go to Christian schools, this is technically true for Baylor, but Baylor is very Christian. Their faith is important to them. If you aren’t Christian, make sure you really look into their campus culture before applying.
Texas Christian University
Ok, there are a lot of Christian schools on this list. But are you really surprised? It’s Texas. Texas Christian University, or TCU, is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU is connected to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) however you do not need to be religious to go there. The school has about 10k undergrads and has popular programs in business, nursing, and biology.
Trinity University
Trinity University is a private liberal arts college in San Antonio, Texas. Trinity is on the smaller side of this list with about 2500 undergraduates. They are part of the Associated Colleges of the South, a group of colleges that champion liberal arts education in the Southern United States. They have around a 33.7% acceptance rate and a commitment to undergraduate research and internship opportunities. Be careful researching this school, almost every state has a “Trinity” college or university. Make sure if you are interested in the one in Texas that it’s the one you are getting.
There are a lot of choices when it comes to going to school in Texas. If you are interested more generally in going to school in the South, we also have a blog dedicated to showcasing even more Southern schools.
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