The best college in Texas for 2027 is Rice University in Houston, followed by the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. Texas has large public research universities, private universities, small liberal arts colleges and fast-growing regional campuses, with many in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin, the state capital.

This list covers 25 Texas schools. Texas A&M, with 79,114 students in fall 2024, is the largest, and UT Austin is the state’s public flagship. Smaller schools such as Trinity, the University of Dallas and Baylor offer a different feel.

Our order follows the UM World University Rankings methodology and our university rankings. Use it to compare costs, majors and campus life before you apply.

The Best Colleges In Texas 2027

 

1. Rice University

Rice University was founded in 1912 as the William M. Rice Institute and became William Marsh Rice University in 1960. This private R1 research university covers about 300 acres in Houston and enrolled 8,880 students in fall 2024, including 4,776 undergraduates.

Eleven residential colleges anchor student life, and a twelfth, Chao College, opens in 2026. Rice has been an Association of American Universities member since 1985. The Owls field 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division I FBS, and the baseball team won the 2003 College World Series. Nobel laureates Robert Curl and Robert Woodrow Wilson are alumni, as is astronaut Peggy Whitson.

 

2. University of Texas – Austin

The University of Texas at Austin opened on September 15, 1883. It is the public flagship of the University of Texas System and an R1 research university, with 53,864 students in fall 2024.

Sixteen colleges and schools make up the campus in Austin. The Longhorns play NCAA Division I FBS in the SEC. Alumni include Nobel-winning immunologist James P. Allison, filmmaker Wes Anderson and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Two additional academic units sit alongside those colleges and schools. Allison earned his Nobel Prize for work in immunology, and Tyson is a well-known astrophysicist. Enrollment of 53,864 makes it one of the largest campuses in the state.

 

3. Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University held its first classes on October 4, 1876, after the Texas Legislature established the college in 1871. It became Texas A&M University in 1963. The public land-grant R1 research university in College Station had 79,114 students in fall 2024.

Texas A&M is one of six U.S. senior military colleges, and its Corps of Cadets is a full-time volunteer cadet corps. It has belonged to the Association of American Universities since 2001. The Aggies play NCAA Division I FBS in the SEC. Alumni include former governor Rick Perry and Heisman winners John David Crow and Johnny Manziel. It was the State Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas from 1871 to 1887, then the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas until 1963.

 

4. Trinity University

Trinity University was founded in 1869 by Cumberland Presbyterians in Tehuacana, Texas, and moved to a 125-acre campus north of downtown San Antonio in 1945. A 1969 covenant with the Presbyterian Church (USA) made it a private, independent university.

It enrolled 2,490 undergraduates and 143 graduate students in 2024. Four schools offer 57 majors, 63 minors and six graduate programs. The Tigers compete in NCAA Division III in the Southern Athletic Association. Alumni include 1963 Wimbledon champion Chuck McKinley and tennis player Dick Stockton. It moved to Waxahachie in 1902 before settling in San Antonio, and Brian Gottfried was another tennis standout at Trinity.

 

5. Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University was founded in 1923 as Texas Technological College and became Texas Tech University in 1969. This public R1 research university in Lubbock is the flagship of the Texas Tech University System and enrolled 42,455 students in fall 2025.

The Red Raiders play NCAA Division I FBS in the Big 12, and the women’s basketball teams are the Lady Raiders. Alumni include Space Shuttle Columbia commander Rick Husband, NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes and former DARPA head Arati Prabhakar. Husband’s flight, STS-107, was Columbia’s last. The school was Texas Technological College from 1923 to 1969, and Mahomes is a three-time Super Bowl MVP.

 

6. Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University was chartered on April 17, 1911, and began classes in 1915. The private R1 research university in University Park was founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and is non-sectarian in teaching. It enrolled 12,544 students in fall 2025.

Schools include the Cox School of Business, the Dedman School of Law, the Lyle School of Engineering, the Meadows School of the Arts and the Perkins School of Theology. The Mustangs play NCAA Division I FBS in the ACC as of 2025-26. John Tower, a U.S. Senator from 1961 to 1985, earned a master’s degree there in 1953. It also has a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico.

 

7. University of Houston

The University of Houston was founded in 1927 as Houston Junior College and became the University of Houston in 1934. This public R1 research university is the flagship of the University of Houston System and enrolled 48,950 students in fall 2025.

The main campus is in southeast Houston, with instructional sites in Sugar Land and Katy. The Cougars play NCAA Division I FBS in the Big 12. Alumni include NBA MVP Hakeem Olajuwon, former MPAA president Jack Valenti and Grammy-winning singer Lizzo. It was Houston Junior College from 1927 to 1934 and carried the University of Houston-University Park name from 1983 to 1991. Carnegie classifies it as R1.

 

8. Texas Christian University

Texas Christian University was founded in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as Add-Ran Male & Female College. It has been Texas Christian University since 1902. The private research university sits about four miles from downtown Fort Worth.

It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and enrolled 12,980 students in fall 2025. Colleges include AddRan College of Liberal Arts, the Neeley School of Business, the Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences and the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine. The Horned Frogs play NCAA Division I FBS in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs won national football championships in 1935 and 1938. The school moved to Waco from 1895 to 1910 before returning to Fort Worth.

 

9. University of Texas – Tyler

The University of Texas at Tyler was founded in 1971 as Tyler State College. It became Texas Eastern University in 1975 and joined the University of Texas System in 1979. The public research university enrolled about 11,600 students in fall 2025.

Its medical school opened in 2023 and is the first in the East Texas region. The Patriots compete in NCAA Division II in the Lone Star Conference and have no football program. Alumni include Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley and Kansas City NWSL co-owner Brittany Mahomes. Bryan Hughes, a member of the Texas House of Representatives since 2003, is also an alumnus. Enrollment figures for fall 2025 are preliminary.

 

10. Texas A&M International University

Texas A&M International University opened in 1970 in Laredo as a branch of Texas A&I University at Kingsville. It became Laredo State University in 1977 and Texas A&M International University in 1993. The public university had 9,137 students in fall 2025.

More than 70 undergraduate and graduate degrees are spread across four colleges: Arts and Sciences, the A. R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business, Education, and Nursing and Health Sciences. The university is part of the Texas A&M University System. The Dustdevils field 13 varsity sports in NCAA Division II, mainly in the Lone Star Conference. It was Texas A&I University at Laredo from 1969 to 1977. Henry Cuellar and Ned Kock are among its notable people.

 

11. University of Houston-Clear Lake

University of Houston-Clear Lake was authorized in 1971 and began classes in 1974. The public university sits on a wooded campus next to NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, with branch campuses in Pearland and the Texas Medical Center.

It offers 97 degree programs across four colleges: Business, Education, Human Sciences and Humanities, and Science and Engineering. It is one of three institutions in the University of Houston System but operates as a separate university. The Hawks are the school’s nickname. Alumni include Guion Bluford, the first African-American astronaut, and author Kevin Kwan. Congressman Randy Weber is also an alumnus. The school was the University of Houston at Clear Lake City until 1983.

 

12. Baylor University

Baylor University was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. This private Baptist R1 research university sits on the Brazos River in Waco and enrolled 20,626 students in fall 2024.

It was the first university in Texas to teach law in 1849, and it won the first men’s NCAA basketball national championship in its history in 2021. The Bears play NCAA Division I FBS in the Big 12. Alumni include Heisman winner Robert Griffin III, WNBA player Brittney Griner and HGTV hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines. Mary Kavanaugh Gentry became its first female graduate in 1855, and Baylor admitted its first Black students in 1964. Carnegie classifies it R1.

 

13. University of Texas – Dallas

The University of Texas at Dallas began in 1961 as the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest. It became the University of Texas at Dallas on September 1, 1969. The public R1 research university in Richardson enrolled 29,886 students in fall 2024.

Seven schools include the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and the Naveen Jindal School of Management. It is the northernmost institution in the University of Texas System. Its alumni include four Nobel laureates and an astronaut. The Comets are the school’s nickname. Physicist Polykarp Kusch, its first Nobel laureate, taught there from 1972 to 1982. It was the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies from 1967 to 1969.

 

14. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 by merging UT Brownsville and UT-Pan American, and it opened on August 31, 2015. It is the southernmost member of the University of Texas System.

The main campus is in Edinburg, with a second main campus in Brownsville and sites in McAllen, Harlingen and South Padre Island. Enrollment is about 36,000 students. Its School of Medicine received preliminary accreditation in 2016. The Vaqueros compete in NCAA Division I. Carnegie classifies it R2, and the Texas House approved legislation for a law school in 2019. A psychiatry residency gained accreditation in May 2016.

 

15. University of Houston – Downtown

University of Houston-Downtown was founded in 1974, when the University of Houston acquired the assets of South Texas Junior College. It sits on a 40-acre campus near Allen’s Landing in downtown Houston.

The public university enrolled 14,105 students in fall 2023 and offers 57 degree programs, 45 bachelor’s and 12 master’s, across four colleges. It has no varsity teams, only club and intramural sports under the Gators’ name. Alumni include former Houston police chief Charles McClelland and U.S. Representative Troy Nehls. It was University of Houston-Downtown College from 1974 to 1983. Football player Devon Still is also an alumnus; the mascot is Ed-U-Gator, and the 1983 rename came through Senate Bill 235.

 

16. University of Texas – Arlington

The University of Texas at Arlington was founded in 1895 as Arlington College. It was Arlington State College from 1949 to 1967 and joined the University of Texas System in 1965. The public R1 research university had 41,613 students in fall 2024.

Earlier names included Carlisle Military Academy and North Texas Agricultural College. The Mavericks compete in NCAA Division I. Alumni include astronaut Kalpana Chawla, actor Lou Diamond Phillips and Energy Transfer founder Kelcy Warren. It was also known as Arlington Training School, Arlington Military Academy and Grubbs Vocational College, and Carnegie classifies it R1. Enrollment of 41,613 makes it one of the state’s larger campuses.

 

17. University of North Texas

The University of North Texas opened on September 16, 1890, in Denton. It is the flagship of the University of North Texas System, and Carnegie classifies it R1. Enrollment was 46,940 in fall 2024.

The university says it was the first in the world to offer a jazz studies degree, and its One O’Clock Lab Band has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards. The Mean Green play NCAA Division I in The American. Alumni include journalist Bill Moyers and Pulitzer winner Howard Swindle. Mark Followill, the TV play-by-play voice of the Dallas Mavericks, is also an alumnus. Its College of Music is among the largest accredited music schools, and a satellite campus operates in Frisco.

 

18. Hallmark University

Hallmark University in San Antonio began teaching aircraft maintenance after receiving FAA authorization in 1969. It became Hallmark College in 2007 and Hallmark University in 2015.

The private university offers associate, bachelor’s and MBA degrees in healthcare administration, nursing, aeronautics, business and computer science through its College of Aeronautics, School of Information Technology, School of Business and School of Nursing. The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges accredits it. Earlier names include Hallmark Aero-Tech and Hallmark Institute of Technology. The school’s focus on career programs reflects its start in aircraft maintenance training. Its accreditor is a career schools commission, so students should check how credits transfer.

 

19. The University of Texas at San Antonio

The University of Texas at San Antonio was established on June 5, 1969. This public R1 research university and Texas Tier One institution enrolled about 38,200 students in fall 2025.

The Roadrunners play NCAA Division I FBS in the American Conference. Alumni include sports broadcaster Michelle Beadle, U.S. Representative Monica De La Cruz and musician Travis Scott. The campus had been called the 1604 Campus until it was renamed the Main Campus in 2009. Durango Boulevard is now Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard, and Fiesta UTSA was renamed Día en la Sombrilla in 2022. Carnegie’s R1 label means very high research activity.

 

20. University of Dallas

The University of Dallas was founded in 1956. The private Roman Catholic university sits on a 744-acre campus in Irving, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and enrolled 2,076 students in fall 2024.

Since 1970, students, usually sophomores, can spend a semester at the university’s campus in the Alban Hills southeast of Rome. The Crusaders compete in NCAA Division III in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Alumni include actor Peter MacNicol and commentator L. Brent Bozell III. Legal scholar John C. Eastman is also an alumnus. The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference covers non-football sports, and the campus is urban despite its size.

 

21. Texas Woman’s University

Texas Woman’s University was authorized in 1901 and opened in Denton in 1902. It has carried its current name since 1957. This public R2 research university enrolls about 15,500 students, and women make up about 90 percent of them.

It offers degrees in 60 areas across six colleges, and nursing, library science and occupational therapy are nationally recognized. It admitted men to its health sciences graduate school in 1972 and opened all programs to men in 1994. Alumni include astronaut Millie Hughes-Fulford and Olympic gymnast Carly Patterson. Names have included Girls Industrial College, College of Industrial Arts and Texas State College for Women. Margo Jones, a theatre pioneer, is also an alumna.

 

22. Texas State University

Texas State University was founded in 1899 as Southwest Texas State Normal School. It has been Texas State University since 2013. The public university in San Marcos has campuses in Round Rock and Querétaro, Mexico, and set a record with 47,513 students in fall 2026.

Carnegie classifies it R2, and Texas designates it an Emerging Research University. The Bobcats play NCAA Division I FBS. Alumni include President Lyndon B. Johnson, country singer George Strait and MLB All-Star Paul Goldschmidt. Earlier names included Southwest Texas State Teachers College, Southwest Texas State University, from 1969, and Texas State University-San Marcos, from 2003. The Bobcats compete in the Pac-12 Conference.

 

23. Texas A&M University – Texarkana

Texas A&M University-Texarkana opened in 1971 with 323 students as an upper-level branch of East Texas State University. It became Texas A&M University-Texarkana in 1996, when East Texas State joined the A&M System.

Two colleges offer 18 undergraduate majors and 20 master’s programs, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering began in 2020. It had 2,112 students in fall 2022. The Eagles field 21 varsity sports in the NAIA, move to NCAA Division II in 2026-27 and start football in 2027. Ross Alexander is president, and Melinda Arnold is provost. The campus sits near Bringle Lake and has offered graduate programs since 2010.

 

24. Texas A&M University – Victoria

Texas A&M University-Victoria began in 1973 as the University of Houston Victoria Center. It was the University of Houston-Victoria from 1983 to 2025 and joined the Texas A&M University System on September 1, 2025.

The public university sits on a 20-acre campus in Victoria and had 3,784 students in fall 2023. Four schools offer undergraduate and master’s degrees, and a three-year accelerated bachelor’s option is called Degree in Three. The Jaguars field six sports in the NAIA. Christian Hardigree has been president since November 4, 2025. It is separately accredited and is not a branch of Texas A&M University. It is the twelfth member of the A&M System.

 

25. Abilene Christian University

Abilene Christian University was founded in 1906 as Childers Classical Institute. It was Abilene Christian College from 1920 to 1976. The private university is affiliated with the Churches of Christ, and Carnegie classifies it R2.

About 7,900 students attend, and five colleges cover arts, biblical studies, business, health and behavioural sciences, and science and engineering. The Wildcats play NCAA Division I, with football in the United Athletic Conference. Alumni include author Max Lucado and Olympic champion Bobby Morrow. Gordon Bethune, a former Continental Airlines CEO, is also an alumnus, and the mascot is Willie the Wildcat. Other sports compete in the WAC.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best college in Texas?

Rice University in Houston is first on our 2027 list, followed by the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. Rice is a private R1 research university with 8,880 students in fall 2024.

What is the largest university in Texas?

Texas A&M University in College Station, with 79,114 students in fall 2024. The University of Texas at Austin had 53,864 students and the University of Houston 48,950 in fall 2025.

Which Texas university has the oldest charter?

Baylor University in Waco was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. It was the first university in Texas to teach law in 1849.

Which Texas college is a military college?

Texas A&M University is one of six U.S. senior military colleges, and its Corps of Cadets is a full-time volunteer cadet corps.

Where can you study jazz in Texas?

The University of North Texas in Denton says it was the first university in the world to offer a jazz studies degree. Its One O’Clock Lab Band has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards.

How was the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley formed?

It was created through a 2013 merger of the University of Texas at Brownsville and the University of Texas-Pan American. It has about 36,000 students.

Top 25 Best Colleges in Texas 2027: Ranked List

1. Rice University
2. University of Texas – Austin
3. Texas A&M University
4. Trinity University
5. Texas Tech University
6. Southern Methodist University
7. University of Houston
8. Texas Christian University
9. University of Texas – Tyler
10. Texas A&M International University
11. University of Houston-Clear Lake
12. Baylor University
13. University of Texas – Dallas
14. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
15. University of Houston – Downtown
16. University of Texas – Arlington
17. University of North Texas
18. Hallmark University
19. The University of Texas at San Antonio
20. University of Dallas
21. Texas Woman’s University
22. Texas State University
23. Texas A&M University – Texarkana
24. Texas A&M University – Victoria
25. Abilene Christian University

 

 

 

Read more about UM World University Rankings