What is the hardest college to get into in texas? That’s a question a lot of people are asking, and we’ve done all the research so that you can find the best college for you. CollegeLearners.com provides answers to questions ranging from what is the easiest college to get into in Texas to is Texas A&M hard to get into. It also has listicles from current college students about common things they wish they had known before starting college. Learn how a person can get into a hard college by doing these ten steps. You will also learn several things regarding Texas colleges ranked by acceptance rate.

Texas is a hub of great colleges. Getting a chance to study in one of the best colleges in the states is a blessing. You get to work hard on your dream and ambition. However, choosing between so many great schools can be a little hard!

For academic year 2020-2021, the average acceptance rate for Public Colleges in Texas is 66.40% and admission yield, also known as enrollment rate, is 34.51% where total 396,843 people have applied, 263,489 admitted, and 90,924 students have enrolled one of schools of Public Colleges in Texas finally. The University of Texas at Austin is the tightest school to admit with 31.82% acceptance rate and Texas A & M University-Commerce has the second lowest acceptance rate of 43.13%. Below table summarizes and compares the acceptance rate and other admission statistics. You want to click a column name to sort table by the column.

Looking for the best colleges with low acceptance rates in Texas? Find the top accredited and affordable Texas universities online, including some of our top picks for best value colleges. These are the least selective public and private four-year colleges in Texas based on their admission rates. These colleges historically accept more than half of students who apply for admission. These are good safety schools for your college list and you should have a good chance on getting in if your grades and test scores are above or within their typical admission thresholds. Just because a school is less selective doesn’t mean it’s a lesser school academically and easy to get into for all students. Unless a college has guaranteed admission or accepts 100% of applicants, you still need sufficient grades to be accepted.

What Are the Hardest Colleges to Get into in Texas?

Based on our analysis of Texas’s 100-plus four-year colleges, the hardest college to get into in the Lone Star State has an undergraduate acceptance rate of just 9%. That equates to roughly 9 out of every 10 applicants to this school not being accepted. Compare that acceptance rate to the average undergraduate acceptance rate for the study overall, 83%.  

After conducting our analysis of the hardest colleges to get into in Texas, we drilled down the colleges to a top-15 list. This list is composed of a mix of private, not-for-profit colleges and public colleges, with private schools comprising a higher proportion of the top-15 hardest schools to get into. This is a fairly common pattern, as shown by other BrokeScholar studies, such as the hardest colleges to get into in South Carolina. 

Looking at our analysis of all four-year Texas colleges, the overall average graduation rate was 45%. Most of the schools that make up the top 15 hardest colleges to get into in Texas have higher graduation rates than 45%, but there are exceptions. The No. 1 hardest college to get into in Texas has a graduation rate of 92% — which is the second highest rate in the state, behind only the tiny Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary’s graduation rate of 100% (the seminary has an undergraduate population of roughly 51 students). 

Below you’ll find a list of the 15 hardest colleges to get into in Texas, listed in order of lowest acceptance rate to highest acceptance rate. Also included in the breakdown below are costs of tuition and required fees (though required fees does not include room and board).

Texas Colleges With the Lowest Acceptance Rates
College	Percent Admitted	Undergraduate Population	2023 In-State Tuition and Required Fees	2023 Out-of-State Tuition and Required Fees
Rice University	9%	4,247	$54,960	$54,960
Dallas Christian College	17%	317	$19,236	$19,236
University of Texas at Austin	29%	40,916	$11,752	$40,996
Trinity University	34%	2,527	$49,264	$49,264
Austin College	43%	1,212	$44,925	$44,925
Huston-Tilloston University	50%	991	$15,250	$15,250
Southwestern University	51%	1,504	$50,558	$50,558
Southern Methodist University	53%	6,908	$61,980	$61,980
University of Houston-Victoria	53%	3,037	$10,386	$25,074
LeTourneau University	54%	2,991	$35,220	$35,220
Texas A&M International University	54%	6,890	$9,448	$23,882
Texas Christian University	54%	10,222	$57,130	$57,130
Hallmark University	56%	868	$38,360	$38,360
Baylor University	57%	15,191	$51,738	$51,738
Tarleton State University	57%	11,666	$9,808	$22,110

Based on our analysis, the hardest college to get into in Texas is Rice University, a private research university in Houston, Texas. The last entry on our top-15 list — Tarleton State University — has an undergraduate acceptance rate of 57%, making it tied with Baylor University. Though 57% means more than half of applicants are accepted, this admission rate is still far more selective than the 83% average acceptance rate for the study as a whole. 

Beyond Rice University, the top-15 list is quite intriguing and includes colleges the average reader likely has not heard of before. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the hardest colleges to get into in Texas:

1. Rice University

Total number of applicants: 29,544

Rice University acceptance rate: 9%

Tuition and required fees: $54,960

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 49% Female – 51% Male

Rice University is a well-known and well-regarded institution of higher education, frequently ranking among the best colleges in the US. With nearly 30,000 applicants to the school, Rice University proves to be the hardest college to get into in Texas with an undergraduate admission rate of just 9%. Rice University is easily the most selective college in Texas and one of the most selective in the country overall. When it comes to specific fields of study at Rice University, it ranks as one of the best biomedical engineering schools in Texas and the US.

Rice University offers degrees ranging from the bachelor’s level up to doctoral degrees. According to NCES data, some of the most popular fields of study to earn a degree in include:

• Bachelor’s degrees: 142 awarded in Computer and Information Sciences, General; 65 awarded in Economics, General; 58 awarded in Mechanical Engineering; 56 awarded in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering; and 55 awarded in Biochemistry.
• Master’s degrees: 439 awarded in Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other; 128 awarded in Computer and Information Sciences, General; 29 awarded in Statistics, General; 26 awarded in Stringed Instruments; and 25 awarded in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics.
• Doctoral degrees: 19 awarded in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering; 16 awarded in Computer and Information Sciences, General; 15 awarded in Electrical and Computer Engineering; and 14 awarded in Physics, General.

2. Dallas Christian College

Total number of applicants: 1,100

Dallas Christian College acceptance rate: 17%

Tuition and required fees: $19,236

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 44% Female – 56% Male

Dallas Christian College is a private Christian college in Farmers Branch, Texas, an inner-ring suburb of Dallas. It is affiliated with the Christian Church and accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. Dallas Christian College is composed solely of undergraduate students, approximately 317 of them, and therefore only awards associate and bachelor’s degrees. Still, with an undergraduate admission rate of just 17%, Dallas Christian College ranks as the second hardest college to get into in Texas. While Dallas Christian College is comparatively affordable for a private, not-for-profit college, its graduation rate is notably lagging at 19%.

3. The University of Texas at Austin

Total number of applicants: 66,077

University of Texas acceptance rate: 29%

Tuition and required fees: $11,752 for in-state | $40,996 for out-of-state

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 57% Female – 43% Male

Often just called UT Austin or even just UT, the University of Texas at Austin is the first public institution to make our list of the 15 hardest colleges to get into in Texas. The University of Texas at Austin is a superb public research university. Founded in 1883, it stands as the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. Not surprisingly, it is also the hardest college to get into in the University of Texas System of colleges. 

The University of Texas at Austin is very competitive, accepting only 29% of undergraduate applicants. Despite its high selectivity, UT Austin is still a huge school, with an undergraduate population of over 40,000 students. What’s more, UT Austin has an excellent graduation rate of 88%, the third best out of all Texas colleges and second best in our study.

4. Trinity University

Total number of applicants: 9,626

Trinity University acceptance rate: 34%

Tuition and required fees: $49,264

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 53% Female – 47% Male

Trinity University is a private liberal arts college in San Antonio, Texas, founded back in 1869. With an undergraduate acceptance rate of 34%, Trinity University comes in as the No. 4 hardest college to get into in Texas. That rate of admission means that roughly two-thirds of applicants don’t get accepted by Trinity University. The university’s graduation rate is also very strong at 80%, which is one of the best graduation rates in the state. 

Trinity University awarded two levels of degrees: bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees. According to NCES data, one of the most popular bachelor’s degrees is in Research and Experimental Psychology, Other, making Trinity University one of the best colleges for psychology. And despite its small size, Trinity University has a robust academic structure, with programs of study including:

• 58 majors
• 61 minors
• 6 graduate programs
• 2 advising programs

5. Austin College

Total number of applicants: 4,130

Austin College acceptance rate: 43%

Tuition and required fees: $44,925

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 53% Female – 47% Male

Austin College ranks as the fifth hardest college to get into in Texas, with an undergraduate admission rate of 43%. Thus, out of more than 4,000 applicants, less than half get accepted to Austin College. The school’s graduation rate of 68% is better than the 45% average graduation rate for the study overall. With an undergraduate population of a little over 1,200 students, Austin College is on the smaller side, and most of its students are undergraduates. This is why Austin College awards only bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees. According to NCES data, the most popular fields of study to pursue a degree in include:

• Bachelor’s degrees: 32 awarded in Psychology, General; 29 awarded in Business/Commerce, General; and 19 awarded in Public Health, General.
• Master’s degrees: 9 awarded in Secondary Education and Teaching and 4 awarded in Early Childhood Education and Teaching.

6. Huston-Tillotson University

Total number of applicants: 1,875

Huston-Tilloston University acceptance rate: 50%

Tuition and required fees: $15,250

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 60% Female – 40% Male

Huston-Tilloston University is a private historically black university in Austin, Texas. In fact, Huston-Tilloston University is one of the best HBCU colleges in Texas. Founded in 1875, Huston–Tillotson University was the first institution of higher education in Austin. With an undergraduate admission rate of 50%, Huston-Tilloston is very selective compared to the 83% overall average acceptance rate for the study as a whole. Besides offering an excellent academic experience, Huston-Tilloston University is quite affordable compared to the other top 15 hardest colleges to get into, with a cost of tuition and required fees of $15,250 per academic year.

7. Southwestern University

Total number of applicants: 4,757

Southwestern University acceptance rate: 51%

Tuition and required fees: $50,558

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 54% Female – 46% Male

Southwestern University is located in Georgetown, Texas, which is about 30 miles north of Austin. With an undergraduate admission rate of 51%, Southwestern University is very competitive to get into compared to most colleges in Texas. Southwestern University is composed solely of undergraduate students, roughly 1,504 of them, and thus only awards bachelor’s degrees. The university offers 36 different majors and a variety of minors, according to its website. Southwestern University has a solid graduation rate of 74%, which is nearly 30-percentage points higher than the 45% average graduation rate for all Texas colleges analyzed in the study.

8. Southern Methodist University (SMU)

Total number of applicants: 15,685

SMU acceptance rate: 53%

Tuition and required fees: $61,980

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 50% Female – 50% Male

Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private research university in University Park, Texas, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded in 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which is now part of the United Methodist Church. SMU is a very selective college, admitting only 53% of applicants. It also boasts one of the highest graduation rates in Texas, at 82%, and has a large number of graduate students in addition to its nearly 7,000 undergraduate students. The main drawback is SMU’s high cost of tuition, which makes it the most expensive college in Texas.

SMU offers a wide range of degrees, from bachelor’s degrees up to doctoral degrees. According to NCES data, some of the most popular fields of study to earn a degree in include:

• Bachelor’s degrees: 297 awarded in Finance, General; 179 awarded in Economics, General; 91 awarded in Biology/Biological Sciences, General; 84 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management; and 81 awarded in Accounting.
• Master’s degrees: 422 awarded in Management Science; 139 awarded in Education, Other; 116 awarded in Information Science/Studies; 81 awarded in Financial Mathematics; and 80 awarded in Office Management and Supervision.
• Doctoral degrees: 221 awarded in Law; 18 awarded in Superintendency and Educational System Administration; and 11 awarded in Religion/Religious Studies.

9. University of Houston-Victoria

Total number of applicants: 2,272

University of Houston-Victoria acceptance rate: 53%

Tuition and required fees: $10,386 for in-state | $25,074 for out-of-state

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 65% Female – 35% Male

University of Houston-Victoria is a public university in Victoria, Texas, and is part of the University of Houston System. Being a public, four-year college, its undergraduate acceptance rate of 53% is very competitive compared to other public institutions. The University of Houston-Victoria has an undergraduate population of a little over 3,000 students, out of a total student population of just under 4,200. As such, the university offers bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees. 

10. LeTourneau University

Total number of applicants: 2,290

LeTourneau University acceptance rate: 54%

Tuition and required fees: $35,220

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 46% Female – 54% Male

LeTourneau University  is a private, interdenominational evangelical Christian university in Longview, Texas. Founded as LeTourneau Technical Institute in February 1946 by R. G. LeTourneau with his wife, Evelyn, the school originally was tailored to educating veterans returning from World War II. Today, it offers a wide range of programs, but still displays its technical college roots. According to NCES data, some of the most popular fields of study to earn a degree in include:

• Bachelor’s degrees: 37 awarded in Mechanical Engineering; 35 awarded in Business Administration and Management, General; 29 awarded in Elementary Education and Teaching; 29 awarded in Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology, General; and 21 awarded in Clinical Nurse Specialist.
• Master’s degrees: 23 awarded in Business Administration and Management, General; 16 awarded in Clinical Psychology; 15 awarded in Counseling Psychology; 13 awarded in Health/Health Care Administration/Management; and 9 awarded in Educational Leadership and Administration, General.

11. Texas A&M International University

Total number of applicants: 5,263

Texas A&M International acceptance rate: 54%

Tuition and required fees: $9,448 for in-state | $23,882 for out-of-state

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 61% Female – 39% Male

Texas A&M International University is a public university in Laredo, Texas. It is one of four public colleges to mark our list of the 15 hardest colleges to get into in Texas. And with an undergraduate acceptance rate of only 54%, Texas A&M International is easily one of the most selective public colleges in Texas. Texas A&M International is also one the Texas colleges with no application fee for freshmen applicants.

12. Texas Christian University (TCU)

Total number of applicants: 19,782

TCU acceptance rate: 54%

Tuition and required fees: $57,130

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 60% Female – 40% Male

Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. Established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark, it is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). With an undergraduate population of over 10,000 students, TCU is a fairly large private, not-for-profit university. Besides its competitive acceptance rate of 54%, TCU has one of the highest graduation rates of all Texas colleges, at 83%. TCU also has a complex academic structure, with numerous schools and colleges, including:

• AddRan College of Liberal Arts
• Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine
• Bob Schieffer College of Communication
• College of Education
• College of Fine Arts
• College of Science & Engineering
• Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences
• John V. Roach Honors College
• Neeley School of Business

13. Hallmark University

Total number of applicants: 312

Hallmark University acceptance rate: 56%

Tuition and required fees: $38,360

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 34% Female – 66% Male

Hallmark University is a private university in San Antonio, Texas, and awards degrees on the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s level. With an undergraduate acceptance rate of 56%, Hallmark University is much more selective than the 83% overall average acceptance rate for the study as a whole. Hallmark University offers several accelerated programs, including a 10-month associate’s degree; a 29-month bachelor’s degree; and a 10-month master’s degree. The principal schools that comprise Hallmark University include:

• The School of Information Technology
• The College of Aeronautics
• The School of Business
• The School of Nursing

14. Baylor University

Total number of applicants: 36,588

Baylor University acceptance rate: 57%

Tuition and required fees: $51,738

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 60% Female – 40% Male

Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor University is incredibly old, being chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas; that is, by the Congress of Texas when it was its own country before being annexed to the US as a new state. In fact, Baylor University is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the first educational institutions west of the Mississippi River in the US. As such, Baylor University has a strong academic reputation, which largely accounts for its impressive 36,000-plus applicants per year. Baylor University also has one of the highest graduation rates in Texas, at 82%.

Though a private, not-for-profit college, Baylor University is on a larger side. It has an undergraduate population of over 15,000 students. Baylor awards degrees ranging from bachelor’s degrees to doctoral degrees. According to NCES data, some of the most popular fields of study to pursue a degree in include:

• Bachelor’s degrees: 267 awarded in Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse; 225 awarded in Biology/Biological Sciences, General; 152 awarded in Communication, General; 144 awarded in Health/Medical Preparatory Programs, Other; and 137 awarded in Accounting.
• Master’s degrees: 233 awarded in Business Administration and Management, General; 155 awarded in Social Work; 116 awarded in Communication Sciences and Disorders, General; 102 awarded in Accounting; and 62 awarded in Divinity/Ministry.
• Doctoral degrees: 166 awarded in Law; 122 awarded in Physical Therapy/Therapist; 36 awarded in Nurse Anesthetist; 19 awarded in Physician Assistant; and 13 awarded in Occupational Therapy/Therapist.

15. Tarleton State University

Total number of applicants: 10,657

Tarleton State University acceptance rate: 57%

Tuition and required fees: $9,808 for in-state | $22,110 for out-of-state

Undergraduate student gender breakdown: 64% Female – 36% Male

Tarleton State University, located in Stephenville, Texas, rounds out our list of the 15 hardest colleges to get into in Texas. It is a public, four-year university, with an undergraduate population of over 11,600 students. Interestingly, Tarleton State University is a founding member of the Texas A&M University System but doesn’t bear “A&M” in its name anymore. With an undergraduate acceptance rate of 57%, it’s one of the easier colleges to get into on our list yet still far more selective than the 83% average acceptance rate for all Texas colleges. Its graduation rate of 49% is better-than-average and its cost of attendance is more affordable than most of the schools in our top-15 list.

The Bottom Line on the Hardest Colleges to Get Into in Texas

Examining the hardest colleges to get into in Texas, the gender breakdown of students reflects a larger trend in college enrollment that’s been going on for some time in the US: A decline in men attending college and a continued increase in women attending college. Many of the hardest colleges to get into in Texas display noteworthy-to-significant majorities of female undergraduates. For instance, at the University of Houston-Victoria, 65% of undergraduates are female to only 35% that are male. Similarly, at Tarleton State University, 64% of undergraduates are female versus only 36% who are male. On the other hand, Rice University, the No. 1 hardest college to get into in Texas, has a more balanced gender breakdown of undergraduates: 49% are female while 51% are male.

When it comes to the cost of attending the hardest colleges to get into in Texas, the private colleges tend to be more expensive. For example, Southern Methodist University has a cost of tuition and required fees of approximately $61,980 per academic year. Texas Christian University, Rice University, Baylor University, and Southwestern University all have costs of tuition and fees in excess of $50,000 per academic year. These costs can be prohibitively expensive, but that’s where winning scholarships comes in.

Whether you’re a Texas resident or not, BrokeScholar has a massive library of college scholarships and student discounts that can help reduce the financial burden on students. Scholarships and student discounts are important even at colleges that have comparatively cheap tuition. This is because tuition and required fees do not include the costs of room and board as well as other non-mandatory fees you may encounter in your college experience.

Methodology

In order to identify the hardest colleges to get into in Texas, we analyzed 110 colleges and universities in Texas that fit the following criteria:

• Are four-year public or four-year private, not-for-profit institutions
• Offer bachelor’s degree programs (at a minimum)

These 110 colleges and universities were sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as was data on their respective undergraduate populations, undergraduate acceptance rates, total number of applicants, and undergraduate student gender breakdown. The costs of tuition and required fees were sourced from individual college websites and reflect costs for either the 2022-2023 academic year or 2023-2024 academic year if the latter was available.

Hardest College to Get into in Texas

Texas is now a hub of the best and hardest colleges in the country. Being the best in the country, colleges and universities are becoming more and more difficult to get admission into. With more competition among students and every student is better than the other, Texas college is becoming more critical in terms of selections and admissions.

The researchers at Niche.com used acceptance rates and SAT/ACT test score data from the U.S. Department of Education to rank the “hardest colleges to get into” in the country.

Rice University and Houston Baptist University cracked the top 10. Rice had an overall Niche grade of A+, as did the University of Texas at Austin, which was ranked second hardest, but Rice’s acceptance rate was 15 percent and UT-Austin’s rate was 40 percent.

The colleges listed below are some of the hardest colleges in Texas. It is the dream of every student to get into one of these colleges! We might not guarantee to fulfill your dream, but we can definitely guide you to your path. Read along with the list to get more detailed information about these colleges.

My Colleges	School Name	Rank	Prior Rank	Acceptance Rate	Prior Acceptance Rate	Request Info
	Dallas Nursing Institute	1	1	4.5 %(57.7%)	10.7 %
	Rice University	2	2	11.1 %(29.8%)	15.9 %
	The King’s University	3	24	21.8 %(58.0%)	51.9 %
	Chamberlain University-Texas	4	N/A	23.1 %	N/A
	Dallas Christian College	5	13	28.7 %(28.4%)	40.1 %
	Texas A&M University-San Antonio	6	7	29.8 %(14.1%)	34.6 %
	Trinity University	7	9	34.2 %(11.1%)	38.4 %
	Texas A & M University-Commerce	8	6	34.4 %(0.5%)	34.5 %
	Texas Wesleyan University	9	5	35.9 %(4.6%)	34.3 %
	The University of Texas at Austin	10	8	38.5 %(5.6%)	36.5 %

Top 10 Hardest Colleges to Get Into

While Ivy League schools make up the majority of the hardest colleges to get into, other highly selective schools, like Stanford and MIT, have comparably low admission rates. They may not belong to the Ivy League, but they offer similarly extensive research opportunities and reputable degree programs.

Use the table below to see which colleges are the most competitive in the U.S. All data is for the class of 2026 unless otherwise noted.

With hundreds of schools going temporarily or permanently test-optional in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many colleges are experiencing record application numbers. This has resulted in some of the lowest acceptance rates in U.S. history.

School	Location	Acceptance Rate (Class Of 2026)
1. Harvard	Cambridge, MA	3.19%
2. Columbia	New York, NY	3.73%
3. Caltech	Pasadena, CA	3.92%*
4. Stanford	Stanford, CA	3.95%*
5. MIT	Cambridge, MA	3.96%
6. Princeton	Princeton, NJ	4.38%*
7. Yale	New Haven, CT	4.47%
8. Brown	Providence, RI	5.03%
9. Penn	Philadelphia, PA	5.87%*
10. Vanderbilt	Nashville, TN	6.1%