Most selective colleges in Texas
50 colleges ranked by acceptance rate
These 50 most selective colleges in Texas, ranked by acceptance rate, run from 8% at Rice University to 92% at The University of Texas at Tyler. 23 are public and 27 are private.
| # | College | Type | Acceptance | Avg SAT | Net price / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rice University Houston, TX | Private | 8% | 1,553 | $12,640 |
| 2 | Trinity University San Antonio, TX | Private | 28% | 1,407 | $23,650 |
| 3 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | Public | 29% | 1,380 | $19,678 |
| 4 | Paul Quinn College Dallas, TX | Private | 34% | — | $20,244 |
| 5 | Southwestern University Georgetown, TX | Private | 39% | 1,269 | $27,468 |
| 6 | LeTourneau University Longview, TX | Private | 41% | 1,262 | $25,314 |
| 7 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX | Private | 43% | 1,303 | $33,531 |
| 8 | Austin College Sherman, TX | Private | 47% | 1,272 | $23,451 |
| 9 | Messenger College Bedford, TX | Private | 50% | — | $18,541 |
| 10 | Baylor University Waco, TX | Private | 51% | 1,313 | $41,942 |
| 11 | Wayland Baptist University Plainview, TX | Private | 54% | — | $20,540 |
| 12 | University of Dallas Irving, TX | Private | 54% | 1,284 | $25,470 |
| 13 | Southwestern Adventist University Keene, TX | Private | 56% | 1,031 | $20,581 |
| 14 | McMurry University Abilene, TX | Private | 58% | 1,072 | $19,988 |
| 15 | East Texas Baptist University Marshall, TX | Private | 60% | — | $23,790 |
| 16 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | Private | 61% | 1,424 | $41,778 |
| 17 | Texas Wesleyan University Fort Worth, TX | Private | 62% | 1,051 | $19,398 |
| 18 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX | Public | 63% | 1,272 | $20,924 |
| 19 | Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX | Private | 64% | 1,189 | $27,401 |
| 20 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX | Public | 65% | 1,300 | $17,435 |
| 21 | Howard Payne University Brownwood, TX | Private | 68% | 1,019 | $25,255 |
| 22 | University of Houston Houston, TX | Public | 70% | 1,229 | $13,853 |
| 23 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | Public | 71% | 1,182 | $20,071 |
| 24 | University of North Texas Denton, TX | Public | 72% | 1,109 | $14,352 |
| 25 | Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX | Private | 73% | 1,086 | $25,910 |
| 26 | Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX | Public | 75% | 949 | $14,041 |
| 27 | University of Houston-Clear Lake Houston, TX | Public | 75% | 1,105 | $11,056 |
| 28 | University of Houston-Victoria Victoria, TX | Public | 77% | 1,085 | $8,624 |
| 29 | Angelo State University San Angelo, TX | Public | 79% | 1,049 | $12,915 |
| 30 | Texas A&M University-Texarkana Texarkana, TX | Public | 80% | 1,006 | $12,637 |
| 31 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX | Public | 81% | 1,116 | $15,235 |
| 32 | Saint Edward's University Austin, TX | Private | 84% | 1,135 | $23,636 |
| 33 | Dallas Christian College Dallas, TX | Private | 84% | 1,022 | $22,456 |
| 34 | Nelson University Waxahachie, TX | Private | 84% | 1,014 | $19,655 |
| 35 | The University of Texas Permian Basin Odessa, TX | Public | 84% | 1,031 | $9,144 |
| 36 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX | Public | 85% | 1,020 | $6,500 |
| 37 | Houston Christian University Houston, TX | Private | 85% | 1,092 | $19,710 |
| 38 | Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX | Public | 85% | 1,055 | $16,025 |
| 39 | Lamar University Beaumont, TX | Public | 86% | 1,040 | $11,429 |
| 40 | Midwestern State University Wichita Falls, TX | Public | 87% | — | $11,882 |
| 41 | Schreiner University Kerrville, TX | Private | 88% | — | $20,410 |
| 42 | Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX | Public | 88% | 1,074 | $15,152 |
| 43 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX | Public | 88% | 1,102 | $11,234 |
| 44 | St. Mary's University San Antonio, TX | Private | 89% | 989 | $21,352 |
| 45 | Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX | Public | 89% | 1,086 | $15,137 |
| 46 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX | Public | 89% | 1,093 | $16,438 |
| 47 | University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX | Public | 91% | 1,041 | $14,623 |
| 48 | Concordia University Texas Austin, TX | Private | 91% | 988 | $22,240 |
| 49 | Dallas Baptist University Dallas, TX | Private | 91% | 1,109 | $30,092 |
| 50 | The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX | Public | 92% | 1,113 | $13,931 |
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