Cheapest Colleges in Texas
Sticker prices at the 73 four-year colleges we rank in Texas run from $7,149 to $67,040 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $59,891 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 35 public colleges here charge a median of $9,654 a year, within a few percent of the national public median of $9,940. The 37 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $34,982, under the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
Texas A&M University-Victoria ranks first at $7,149, ahead of Texas A&M University-Central Texas ($7,363) and Sul Ross State University ($7,592).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Texas
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Texas has 73
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing the top 50 of 73 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Texas A&M University-Victoria Victoria, TX Public · 4-year | $7,149 | $16,989 | $8,109 | 26% | 2,513 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-Central Texas Killeen, TX Public · 4-year | $7,363 | $17,154 | $1,300 | — | 1,750 |
| 3 | Sul Ross State University Alpine, TX Public · 4-year | $7,592 | $17,672 | $13,286 | 29% | 1,396 |
| 4 | University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX Public · 4-year | $7,708 | $17,548 | $10,542 | 33% | 12,555 |
| 5 | University of Houston-Clear Lake Houston, TX Public · 4-year | $7,770 | $21,114 | $15,563 | 51% | 6,078 |
| 6 | Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX Public · 4-year | $7,894 | $19,454 | $3,637 | 48% | 6,667 |
| 7 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX Public · 4-year | $8,302 | $18,142 | $20,783 | 50% | 12,673 |
| 8 | Texas A&M University-Texarkana Texarkana, TX Public · 4-year | $8,349 | $45,080 | $12,997 | 30% | 1,982 |
| 9 | Angelo State University San Angelo, TX Public · 4-year | $8,460 | $18,300 | $15,091 | 42% | 5,643 |
| 10 | Texas Woman's University Denton, TX Public · 4-year | $8,640 | $18,480 | $11,963 | 47% | 8,767 |
| 11 | Lamar University Beaumont, TX Public · 4-year | $8,905 | $18,745 | $9,366 | 37% | 8,150 |
| 12 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 4-year | $9,011 | $22,051 | $10,836 | 52% | 30,580 |
| 13 | West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX Public · 4-year | $9,101 | $10,996 | $19,487 | 51% | 6,917 |
| 14 | Texas Southern University Houston, TX Public · 4-year | $9,173 | $21,473 | $16,590 | 21% | 6,844 |
| 15 | Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX Public · 4-year | $9,228 | $19,068 | $16,404 | 55% | 17,743 |
| 16 | The University of Texas Permian Basin Odessa, TX Public · 4-year | $9,236 | $21,504 | $12,723 | 42% | 3,911 |
| 17 | University of North Texas at Dallas Dallas, TX Public · 4-year | $9,595 | $21,894 | $6,420 | 43% | 2,878 |
| 18 | Texas A&M University-San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 4-year | $9,654 | $23,255 | $11,196 | 35% | 6,599 |
| 19 | University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 4-year | $9,717 | $22,547 | $14,276 | 65% | 38,380 |
| 20 | The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX Public · 4-year | $9,736 | $25,494 | $13,323 | 51% | 7,440 |
| 21 | The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX Public · 4-year | $9,744 | $25,502 | $9,403 | 48% | 21,005 |
| 22 | Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX Public · 4-year | $9,748 | $20,794 | $15,225 | 37% | 8,034 |
| 23 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX Public · 4-year | $9,892 | $25,746 | $12,090 | 44% | 4,748 |
| 24 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX Public · 4-year | $9,987 | $19,827 | $4,831 | 50% | 28,666 |
| 25 | Texas College Tyler, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $10,008 | — | $10,958 | 12% | 614 |
| 26 | East Texas A&M University Commerce, TX Public · 4-year | $10,026 | $22,326 | $11,841 | 44% | 9,912 |
| 27 | Midwestern State University Wichita Falls, TX Public · 4-year | $10,580 | $12,530 | $11,656 | 42% | 4,087 |
| 28 | Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX Public · 4-year | $11,128 | $23,426 | $14,260 | 53% | 8,728 |
| 29 | Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX Public · 4-year | $11,299 | $26,874 | $13,570 | 43% | 8,877 |
| 30 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 4-year | $11,309 | $21,149 | $15,649 | 60% | 34,341 |
| 31 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 4-year | $11,450 | $22,930 | $16,805 | 56% | 36,177 |
| 32 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 4-year | $11,688 | $44,908 | $19,857 | 88% | 42,855 |
| 33 | Jarvis Christian University Hawkins, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $11,720 | — | $9,825 | 15% | 577 |
| 34 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 4-year | $11,852 | $24,451 | $19,070 | 68% | 32,394 |
| 35 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 4-year | $11,950 | $29,582 | $13,951 | 55% | 32,294 |
| 36 | Wiley University Marshall, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $12,500 | — | $7,092 | 22% | 712 |
| 37 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX Public · 4-year | $13,154 | $40,124 | $21,315 | 84% | 59,615 |
| 38 | Paul Quinn College Dallas, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $13,498 | — | $12,709 | 33% | 620 |
| 39 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX Public · 4-year | $14,644 | $40,144 | $18,267 | 75% | 21,751 |
| 40 | North American University Stafford, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $15,436 | — | $18,721 | 29% | 609 |
| 41 | Parker University Dallas, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $17,893 | — | $29,135 | 73% | 607 |
| 42 | Concordia University Texas Austin, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,500 | — | $23,131 | 42% | 1,185 |
| 43 | Wayland Baptist University Plainview, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,782 | — | $20,590 | 19% | 2,041 |
| 44 | Nelson University Waxahachie, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,064 | — | $21,662 | 39% | 1,479 |
| 45 | Southwestern Adventist University Keene, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,380 | — | $22,778 | 47% | 570 |
| 46 | Huston-Tillotson University Austin, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,709 | — | $19,719 | 35% | 1,005 |
| 47 | Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $28,540 | — | $24,456 | 50% | 1,252 |
| 48 | East Texas Baptist University Marshall, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $30,680 | — | $23,911 | 48% | 1,352 |
| 49 | University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Belton, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $32,020 | — | $26,106 | 51% | 2,759 |
| 50 | Our Lady of the Lake University San Antonio, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | $32,106 | — | $16,442 | 44% | 1,066 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Texas, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Texas
Cheap colleges in Texas for out-of-state students
77 schools
Community colleges in Texas
42 schools
Best value colleges in Texas
54 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Texas
92 schools
Most affordable private colleges in Texas
38 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in Louisiana
22 schools
Cheapest colleges in Oklahoma
20 schools
Cheapest colleges in Arkansas
15 schools
All 147 colleges in Texas See the national version of this ranking