Best Christian Colleges in Texas 2024

Published: Mar 15, 2021
Updated: Oct 26, 2023

For prospective college students looking for schools that align with their Christian faith and demonstrate academic excellence, here are the best Christian colleges and universities in Texas.

10 Best Christian Colleges in Texas

Southern Methodist University
Baylor University
Texas Christian University
St. Mary's University, Texas
Trinity University
University of Dallas
Abilene Christian University
Southwestern University
Wiley College
Austin College

University of St. Thomas 98%
Hardin–Simmons University 95%
Lubbock Christian University 95%
Dallas Baptist University 94%
University of the Incarnate Word 94%
St. Edward's University 92%
Concordia University Texas 89%
St. Mary's University, Texas 88%
Paul Quinn College 87%
Houston Christian University 85%

Texas College 22 to 1
Paul Quinn College 18 to 1
Wiley College 17 to 1
Houston Christian University 16 to 1
Hardin–Simmons University 15 to 1
Baylor University 15 to 1
LeTourneau University 15 to 1
University of St. Thomas 14 to 1
St. Edward's University 14 to 1
Dallas Baptist University 14 to 1

Southern Methodist University $60,236
Texas Christian University $51,660
Baylor University $50,232
St. Edward's University $49,996
Trinity University $47,392
Southwestern University $47,000
University of Dallas $46,864
Austin College $43,525
Abilene Christian University $39,350
Houston Christian University $35,500

Baylor University $37,674
University of Dallas $33,750
Texas Christian University $32,220
Southern Methodist University $30,672
Austin College $29,415
St. Edward's University $28,980
Abilene Christian University $24,174
Trinity University $23,597
Schreiner University $22,752
University of St. Thomas $20,934

Lubbock Christian University
Hardin–Simmons University
Our Lady of the Lake University
LeTourneau University
Schreiner University
Concordia University Texas
Paul Quinn College
Texas Wesleyan University
Wayland Baptist University
Houston Christian University

Trinity University 34%
Austin College 43%
Southwestern University 51%
Southern Methodist University 53%
LeTourneau University 54%
Texas Christian University 54%
Baylor University 57%
Texas Wesleyan University 58%
University of Dallas 58%
Our Lady of the Lake University 66%

Trinity University 9 to 1
Wayland Baptist University 9 to 1
Southern Methodist University 11 to 1
Our Lady of the Lake University 11 to 1
University of the Incarnate Word 12 to 1
St. Mary's University, Texas 12 to 1
Austin College 12 to 1
Texas Wesleyan University 12 to 1
Concordia University Texas 12 to 1
University of Dallas 12 to 1

Texas College $10,008
Paul Quinn College $10,672
Wiley College $13,500
Wayland Baptist University $22,004
Lubbock Christian University $24,900
Our Lady of the Lake University $29,926
University of St. Thomas $31,560
Hardin–Simmons University $31,686
University of the Incarnate Word $33,100
LeTourneau University $33,490

Lubbock Christian University $9,540
Houston Christian University $11,000
Concordia University Texas $11,970
Hardin–Simmons University $13,230
Wayland Baptist University $13,896
Our Lady of the Lake University $16,650
LeTourneau University $16,875
Texas Wesleyan University $18,227
University of the Incarnate Word $18,540
St. Mary's University, Texas $18,684

Key Takeaways

A Christian college is an educational facility, or a division thereof, committed to integrating Christian knowledge and academic excellence in conventional subjects.
The Christian colleges in Texas offer a variety of scholarships and grants to help students defray the cost of tuition. Some Christian colleges may offer faith-based financial assistance, while other schools provide assistance based on academic performance or financial need.
Texas Christian colleges serve many benefits, including small average class size, courses that boost Christian faith, and an intimate community.

Table of Contents

Exploring Excellent Christian Schools for Texans

The Lone Star State, Texas, has plenty of educational offerings within the state, from elementary education to higher learning. Even better, it offers academic excellence at an affordable cost.

Texas is home to a few of the country’s best Christian colleges. But even if the state provides vast Christian colleges, it’s not for everyone.

To make an educated and empowered decision if you’re considering attending a Christian college in Texas, it’s critical to comprehend both the benefits and drawbacks of the state’s Christian colleges.

Pros and Cons of Texas Christian Colleges

Pros:

Strong Campus Community

Religious principles and ideals are upheld at Christian colleges in Texas. This creates a more cohesive campus by developing close ties between faculty, staff, and students. At many universities, teachers encourage students to participate in Christian service programs and other projects related to support these relationships.

Some Christian colleges also require students to take biblical studies courses to create greater bonds with the Lord and fellow students.

Personalized Learning Attention

Courses that consist of lectures frequently allow for interactive, engaging group activities and classroom discussions due to a lower student-to-faculty ratio and smaller classes, creating a more unique, well-rounded learning environment.

Access to Christian Majors

A Christian institution will provide plenty of possibilities for students thinking about majoring in a religious subject. Pastoral studies, Christian counseling, and Christian ministry are three of the most well-known degrees in Christian colleges in Texas.

Students should anticipate studying these disciplines from a Christian perspective, even in popular and common majors offered at secular universities, even if the major does not have a vital religious component.

Cons:

Limited Exposure to Other Points of View

It’s critical to acknowledge and comprehend that there are several religions and faiths, and not everyone will share your point of view. Studying in a Christian university may hinder our comprehension and empathetic capacity. It might be simpler to mix students from different backgrounds, ideologies, and beliefs at secular colleges with a more diverse student body.

Higher Tuition Fee than Public Colleges and Universities

It seems reasonable that Christian colleges will cost more than one’s public state university because most Christian universities are private institutions of higher learning.

A private Christian institution may require ordinary students to take out student loans, so it is important to consider whether the benefits of Christian colleges outweigh the additional burden.

Limited Choice of Majors

A Christian college may not be the best option for students looking for a unique combination of programs or a lesser-known major. In the end, you may be compelled to reject the faith-based alternative or make concessions to your preferred course of study.

Some of the most popular majors found in Christian colleges include computer science, criminal justice, liberal arts, political science, health care management, music history, business administration, sports management, and organizational leadership, which don’t include laboratory courses.

Other majors, such as engineering science, medical humanities, animal science, cell biology, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and the sciences, are rare in small Christian colleges.

Texas Online Christian Colleges and Financial Aid Opportunities

The majority of the best Christian colleges in Texas offer online degrees that allow students to receive the same education quality as their counterparts. These Christian colleges offer online courses and undergraduate and graduate programs, perfect for working professionals:

Texas Christian University
Abilene Christian University
University of the Incarnate Word
Houston Baptist University
Concordia University Texas
Dallas Baptist University
Our Lady of the Lake University
Texas Wesleyan University
Hardin-Simmons University
LeTourneau University

Because of high tuition rates in most Christian colleges, Texas students might opt for Christian colleges with cheaper tuition fees and vast financial aid opportunities. Three of the cheapest Christian colleges included on the list are:

Paul Quinn College ($7,392)
Texas College ($8,208)
Wiley College ($11,946)

Students looking for the largest financial aid opportunities should look into the following schools:

Lubbock Christian University
Baylor University
Southern Methodist University
Howard Payne University
Wayland Baptist University
Austin College
Trinity University

Colleges and Universities in Texas

Texas offers more than 30 colleges and universities that serve communities of 10,000 students or more. The largest school in the bunch (and in the nation), Texas A&M University in College Station serves more than 65,000 students. The University of Texas at Austin is the next largest, serving about 45,000 students - but it too has a big claim to fame, as the wealthiest public university in the United States. Texas’s private colleges and universities, including Baylor University and Southern Methodist University, are also impressive in size and scope. The majority of these schools have religious affiliations and offer degrees in a variety fields, such as nursing, religious studies, criminal justice, business, and education.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

For students who prefer a more intimate educational environment, Texas offers a long list of smaller public and private colleges and universities, such as Abilene Christian University and University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Additionally, Texas has generous loan forgiveness programs for qualifying nurses, physicians, teachers, legal aid attorneys, and lawyers who work in the Texas Attorney General’s office.

Texas is known for doing things big. Big cities, big open spaces and, of course, big fun. Whether you’re hitting up the live music scene in Austin, catching a Cowboys game in Dallas, or strolling down the River Walk in San Antonio, you’re sure to have a good time. And, with more than 150 higher education institutes, it’s safe to say The Lone Star State is big on education too.

If you’re looking to earn your degree in the state of Texas, you’ll have plenty of higher learning institutes to choose from.

What are Texas’s Colleges & Universities?

Texas’s Best Overall

The following list of the best Christian schools consists entirely of colleges and universities that offer four-year undergraduate degrees. We’ve identified 36 Christian colleges in Texas. In order to be included in this ranking list of best Christian colleges and universities, a school must self-identify as Christian, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor degree programs.

How do we determine Texas's best Christian colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Christian Colleges in Texas 2023

Texas’s Best Christian Colleges in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

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Best Christian Colleges in Texas 2024

10 Best Christian Colleges in Texas

Key Takeaways

Exploring Excellent Christian Schools for Texans

Pros and Cons of Texas Christian Colleges

Pros:

Strong Campus Community

Personalized Learning Attention

Access to Christian Majors

Cons:

Limited Exposure to Other Points of View

Higher Tuition Fee than Public Colleges and Universities

Limited Choice of Majors

Texas Online Christian Colleges and Financial Aid Opportunities

Colleges and Universities in Texas

What are Texas’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Christian Colleges in Texas 2023

Career Outlook for degree at Southern Methodist University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Baylor University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Texas Christian University

Most Influential Alumni

Texas Christian University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Trinity University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Abilene Christian University

Most Influential Alumni

Abilene Christian University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at St. Mary's University, Texas

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Dallas

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of the Incarnate Word

University of the Incarnate Word’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Austin College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Houston Christian University

Most Influential Alumni

Houston Christian University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Southwestern University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Texas College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at St. Edward's University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Concordia University Texas

Most Influential Alumni

Concordia University Texas’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Dallas Baptist University

Most Influential Alumni

Dallas Baptist University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at University of St. Thomas

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Wiley College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Our Lady of the Lake University

Our Lady of the Lake University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Texas Wesleyan University

Most Influential Alumni

Texas Wesleyan University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Schreiner University

Career Outlook for degree at Paul Quinn College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Wayland Baptist University

Most Influential Alumni