There are 226 colleges and universities in the State of Texas that are listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. These institutions include thirty-four research universities, twenty-nine master's universities, ninety-two undergraduate schools, and seventy-one special-focus institutions. One hundred twenty-three of Texas' post-secondary institutions are private, of which fifty-four are for-profit. One hundred three of the state's post-secondary institutions are public.[1]
Southwestern University is the state's oldest post-secondary institution, having been founded in 1840 as Rutersville College, while the oldest continually operating post-secondary institution is Baylor University, founded in 1845.[2] Texas A&M University is the state's largest of higher learning in terms of enrollment and largest public university, having 77,491 students [3] while Southwest College for the Deaf is the state's smallest college with an enrollment of 48 in the fall of 2023.[4] Texas is also home to a number of internationally recognized universities, including the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, and Rice University which are ranked among the top two hundred universities in the world.[5]
Texas A&M University and Prairie View A&M University are the state's two public land-grant universities. There are also six Catholic post-secondary institutions, including St. Edward's University, University of Dallas, and University of the Incarnate Word. There are also four Southern Baptist post-secondary institutions in Texas, including Baylor University and Hardin-Simmons University. The state has sixteen medical schools,[6] thirteen Allopathic programs and three Osteopathic programs. There are ten law schools,[7] which are accredited by the American Bar Association, including Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, Texas Tech University School of Law, and University of Houston Law Center. Two hundred sixteen of Texas post-secondary institutions are officially recognized by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), while most are accredited by multiple higher education accreditation agencies.
Texas public postesecondary education is organized into seven separate systems that contains 38 separate and distinct public universities.
| Institution | Founded | Enrollment (Fall 2023) | Campus size (Ac) | Endowment (FY23 millions) | R&D<br />(FY23 millions) | Carnegie classification[8] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876 | 9,415 | 1,502 | $148.5 | R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity | |||
| 1899 | 15,000 | 1973 | $26 | R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity | |||
| 1969 | 8,505 | 300 | M1: Master's Colleges and Universities – Larger programs | ||||
| 1876[9] [10] | 77,491[11] | 5,200[12] | $19,290 (Systemwide)[13] | R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity | |||
| 2009 | 3,470 | 672 | $3.3 | M2: Master's Colleges and Universities – Medium programs | |||
| 1889 | 10,966 | 140 | $33.2 | D/PU: Doctoral/Professional Universities | |||
| 1947 | 10,762 | 240 | $24.7 | R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity | |||
| 1925 | 6,092 | 1,600 | $115.7 | R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity | |||
| 2009 | 7,309 | 700 | $4.21 | M1: Master's Colleges and Universities – Larger programs | |||
| 1971 | 2,112 | 375 | $11.6 | M2: Master's Colleges and Universities – Medium programs | |||
| 1910 | 10,051 | 342 | $111 | M1: Master's Colleges and Universities – Larger programs |
See main article: Texas State University System.
Established in 1911, the Texas State University System is the oldest university system in Texas.[14] The system is unique in that it is the only horizontal state university system in Texas. The system has no flagship university.[15] The system consists of four universities and three two-year colleges.
| Institution | Founded | Enrollment (Fall 2023) | Campus size (Ac) | Endowment (FY23 millions) | R&D<br />(FY23 millions) | Carnegie classification[16] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | 17,044 | 299[17] | $161 | D/PU: Doctoral/Professional Universities | |||
| 1879 | 21,679[18] | 272 | $152.3 | R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity | |||
| 1917 | 2,345[19] | 647[20] | $22.692 | M1: Master's Colleges and Universities – Larger programs | |||
| 1899 | 38,873[21] | 517 | $359[22] | R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity | |||
| 1990 | 8,129 | 11 | Associate's Colleges: High Career & Technical-High Traditional | ||||
| 1969 | 3,100 | 68 | Associate's Colleges:High Career & Technical-Mixed Traditional/Nontraditional | ||||
| 1909 | 2,600 | 40 | Associate's Colleges: High Career & Technical-High Traditional |
See main article: Texas Tech University System.
| Institution | Founded | Enrollment (Fall 2023) | Campus size (Ac) | Endowment (FY23 millions) | R&D<br />(FY23 millions) | Carnegie classification[23] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | 10,775 | 268 | $113 | M1: Master's Colleges and Universities – Larger programs | |||
| 1923 | 40,322[24] | 1,839 | $764[25] | $192 [26] | R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity | ||
| 1922 | 5,860[27] | 255 | $91[28] | M1: Master's Colleges and Universities – Larger programs | |||
| 1969 | 5,274 | $267 | Special Focus Four-Year:Research Institution | ||||
| 2013 | 775 | Special Focus Four-Year:Medical Schools & Centers |
See main article: Texas Woman's University.
See main article: University of Houston System.
The University of Houston System has four separate and distinct institutions; each is a stand-alone university and confers its own degrees. Its flagship institution is the University of Houston. The three others are universities; they are not branch campuses of the University of Houston.
Admission into each institution is separate, and each institution has distinct admission criteria and requirements.
| Institution | Founded | Enrollment (Fall 2023) | Campus size (Ac) | Endowment (FY23 millions) | R&D<br />(FY23 millions) | Carnegie classification | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Houston | 1927 | 43,797 | 667 | $589.8[29] | $127.5 | R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity | |
| 1971 | 8,153 | 524 | $22.6 [30] | $2.2 | D/PU: Doctoral/Professional Universities | ||
| 1974 | 13,916 | 20 | $34.7 [31] | $1.5 | M1: Master's Colleges and Universities – Larger programs | ||
| 1971 | 4,335 | 20 | $15.2 [32] | $1.2 | M1: Master's Colleges and Universities – Larger programs |
See main article: University of North Texas System.
| Institution | Founded | Enrollment (Fall 2023) | Campus size (Ac) | Endowment (FY23 millions) | R&D<br />(FY23 millions) | Carnegie classification | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 46,940 | 900 | $291.6 | R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity | |||
| 2000 | 3,513 | 264 | M1: Master's Colleges and Universities – Larger programs | ||||
| 1970 | 2,458 | 33 | Special Focus Four-Year:Medical Schools & Centers |
See main article: University of Texas System.
| Institution | Founded | Enrollment (Fall 2023) | Campus size (Ac) | Endowment (FY23 millions) | R&D<br />(FY23 millions) | Carnegie classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1895[33] | 40,990 | 420[34] | $218 | R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity | ||
| 1883 | 52,384 | 431 | $18,800 | R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity | ||
| 1969 | 30,885 | 445 | $743 | R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity | ||
| 1913 | 25,151 | 366 | $242 | R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity | ||