Most Affordable Colleges in Texas 2026

Badge for MOST AFFORDABLE COLLEGES IN TEXAS

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Jenn Finley

Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Key Takeaways

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) notes that in 2019-2020, Texas ranked third on the list of most degree-granting institutions in the US, with 244 of the states’ schools included.
From private scholarships to federal grants to work-study programs and student loans, every college student has various financial aid options to fund their schooling.
Texas has one of the lowest costs of living in the country, making the state one of the most inexpensive areas to both live and attend college.

Table of Contents

10 Most Affordable Colleges in Texas in 2026

University of Texas at Austin
Texas A&M University
University of Houston
Texas Tech University
University of North Texas
University of Texas at Dallas
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at El Paso
Texas Southern University
University of Texas at San Antonio
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Texas Takes Pride in Affordable Colleges!

Texas has so many advantages for college students and those pursuing graduate programs. With diverse cities and dynamic college towns that all feature a low cost of living, the state’s university system is comprised of more than 240 colleges and universities, allowing students to access different institutions, including some of the US’ most affordable colleges.

Texas takes pride in a relatively low cost of living, meaning college education is not as expensive as in other parts of the US. There are so many affordable colleges in Texas for undergrads and graduate students. However, even though education cost is low both for on-campus and online programs as compared to other states, there are still numerous financial aid and scholarship opportunities in the state.

Texas Scholarships

Austin Board of REALTORS Scholarship This scholarship was established in 1978 by the Austin Board of Realtors and supported the Central Texas community through its annual scholarship programs. Open to all high school seniors residing in one of ABoR’s 18-county MLS service areas and planning to attend a Texas college, university, or accredited technical school, the scholarship grants $2,000 to every qualified student.

Caleb Tripp Thornton Memorial Scholarship In 2018, Caleb Thornton tragically passed away in a car accident in Humble, Texas. The cause of the accident was driving under the influence and speeding.

His sister, Kristi Thornton, was supposed to run the Chevron Houston Marathon a week after the crash. After losing her brother, she deferred her run until a year after. Instead of running 26 miles, she asked 26 random people to complete an Act of Kindness in her brother’s honor. Since then, the number has multiplied, and friends and family across the US continue to complete the Act of Kindness.

The Caleb Tripp Thornton Memorial Scholarship is available for $2,600 to high school seniors.

Terry Foundation Freshmen Scholarship This scholarship is awarded to eligible Texas high school seniors planning on attending Terry-affiliated universities. The amount varies by student, although the scholarship committee considers the candidate’s financial needs and other awarded scholarships to assess the award amount.

Texas Educational Opportunity Grant (TEOG) Program This program was designed to provide additional financial assistance to students enrolled in a public two-year college in Texas. To qualify, students must currently be attending or have attended a high school in the Houston area. The scholarship amount can be as high as $5,862.

Association of Texas Leaders for Education Scholarship Eligible students for this scholarship are awarded $1,000 each. The ATLE scholarship is open for Texas resident graduating seniors who will attend a Texas school to pursue a secondary education.

Education First Scholarship Established by the Education First Credit Union, this scholarship aims to help students to earn a higher education without taking out student loans. Qualified students are awarded $1,000 each. To qualify, applicants must be high school seniors in Tyler, Orange, Newton, Jefferson, Jasper, and Hardin counties.

NIADA Foundation Scholarship The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) established NIADA Foundation in 2006. The goal is to promote educational and academic advancement and to meet charitable needs within the used automobile community. NIADA awards $3,500 to four students who show exceptional achievement in service, education, and leadership. Student scholars must be residents of one of the foundation’s four regions.

Zeta Phi Beta Stork’s Nest Scholarship GED Students and high school seniors who completed the Stork’s Nest Education Program are qualified to apply for the Zeta Phi Beta Stork – Nest Scholarship in Texas. This scholarship is sponsored by the Kappa Zeta Chapter (of Zeta Beta Sorority). Qualified students are awarded $1,500 and are honored at the Miss Blue Revue Ceremony.

LNESC Emergency Scholarship The Macy’s Emergency Scholarship Fund is a partnership between Macy’s and LNESC (Lulac National Educational Service Centers, Inc.). It provides financial assistance to deserving students who are facing economic hardships and need immediate monetary support that, if not met, may result in incomplete classes.

Reasons for receiving this emergency scholarship fund include job loss, unexpected death of an immediate family member, change in family income or support, natural disasters, home foreclosure or pending eviction, fire, or burglary. Recipients receive $500 for this program.

How do we determine Texas's best affordable 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.

There are 46 colleges and universities in Texas with stated tuitions and fees under $20,000/year. The following list of the most affordable colleges and universities in Texas is composed entirely of schools offering bachelor’s degree programs, have stated tuition and fees near or under the national average of $16,000/year, and are fully accredited colleges.