Liberal arts colleges are a great option for students seeking a well-rounded education in an intimate campus setting. The best liberal arts colleges in Texas offer a diverse selection of degree programs with opportunities for a highly individualized educational experience.
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.
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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.
Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges
A liberal arts college is a school that puts a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. We’ve identified 46 liberal arts colleges in Texas. To be ranked among the 30 best liberal arts colleges in Texas, schools must fully accredited institutions.
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
34%
Graduation
79%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1370/30
Trinity University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
66%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1122/24
Abilene Christian University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
59%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1130/23
St. Mary's University, Texas’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
54%
Graduation
69%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1245/27
University of Dallas’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
37%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
955/18
Prairie View A&M University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$44K
Acceptance
49%
Graduation
71%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1210/26
Austin College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
47%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1100/21
Houston Baptist University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
49%
Graduation
73%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1230/26
Southwestern University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
43%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1025/20
Angelo State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Graduation
14%
Student body
<1K
Texas College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
46%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1005/18
Texas A&M International University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
67%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1152/25
St. Edward's University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
43%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1045/20
Concordia University Texas’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
52%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/21
University of Houston–Clear Lake’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
96%
Graduation
66%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1150/23
University of St. Thomas ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Graduation
31%
Student body
<1K
Wiley College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
44%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1025/19
Midwestern State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
58%
Graduation
46%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1045/20
Tarleton State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
58%
Graduation
44%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1040/20
West Texas A&M University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
96%
Graduation
51%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1015/20
Schreiner University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
30%
Student body
2K
Sul Ross State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
62%
Graduation
21%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
855/17
Paul Quinn College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$22K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
25%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
970/19
Wayland Baptist University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
28%
Student body
2K
Brazosport College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
30%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1000/18
University of Houston–Downtown’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
55%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1056/20
Hardin–Simmons University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
57%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1200/25
LeTourneau University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$25K
Acceptance
97%
Graduation
48%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1065/21
Lubbock Christian University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
22%
Student body
7K
Tyler Junior College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$29K
Acceptance
47%
Graduation
35%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1020/20
McMurry University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utiulized 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.
Check out our directory of liberal arts colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top liberal arts schools in every state.
