Most Selective Texas Colleges
Texas has 12 four-year colleges that accept 50% or fewer of applicants, ranked from most to least selective.
Rice University is the hardest to get into in Texas, accepting just 8% of 32,473 applicants. Also highly selective: Dallas Christian College, Trinity University and The University of Texas at Austin.
Selectivity does not always equal academic difficulty. Some schools admit a small share of applicants because demand exceeds capacity, not because admission standards are extreme. If you need safety schools, see our highest acceptance rate colleges in Texas. For academically demanding options, explore colleges with the highest SAT, highest ACT, and highest GPA averages.
Rice University
- Private 4 Year
- Houston, TX
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- 8% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Rice is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and the natural sciences. Most undergraduates live in residential colleges that organize dining and social life on the urban Houston campus.
- SAT Range 1510-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.96
- Net Price $23,589
Dallas Christian College
- Private 4 Year
- Dallas, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- 22% acceptance rate
Dallas Christian College is a small private Christian college known for undergraduate biblical studies, ministry, and business. The campus is located in the Dallas area.
- SAT Range 788-1088
- Avg GPA 3.06
- Net Price $24,001
Trinity University
- Private 4 Year
- San Antonio, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- 26% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Trinity is a private university known for undergraduate business, communication, and the sciences. Most students live on a residential hilltop campus overlooking downtown San Antonio.
- SAT Range 1340-1500
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Net Price $32,224
The University of Texas at Austin
- Public 4 Year
- Austin, TX
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- 27% acceptance rate
- Dec 1 application deadline
UT Austin is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and computer science. The urban campus occupies a large site in central Austin.
- SAT Range 1250-1510
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.8
- Net Price $17,942
Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary
- Private 4 Year
- Jacksonville, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- 29% acceptance rate
- Jul 25 application deadline
A private Baptist theological seminary known for undergraduate biblical studies and pastoral ministry. The Jacksonville campus trains students for ministry in the Baptist Missionary Association of America.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price -
LeTourneau University
- Private 4 Year
- Longview, TX
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
- 38% acceptance rate
LeTourneau is a private Christian university known for undergraduate engineering and aviation. The campus is in Longview in East Texas.
- SAT Range 990-1330
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Net Price $29,799
Huston Tillotson University
- Private 4 Year
- Austin, TX
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 39% acceptance rate
- May 1 application deadline
Huston-Tillotson is a private historically Black university with undergraduate programs in business, education, and the liberal arts. Most students study on a compact campus in East Austin.
- SAT Range 800-1160
- Avg GPA 2.92
- Net Price $20,355
Paul Quinn College
- Private 4 Year
- Dallas, TX
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
- 40% acceptance rate
- Jun 1 application deadline
Paul Quinn is a small private historically Black college with undergraduate programs in business and the liberal arts. The Dallas campus operates as a work college where students hold required campus jobs.
- SAT Range 855-1015
- Avg GPA 2.6
- Net Price $12,709
Southwestern University
- Private 4 Year
- Georgetown, TX
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 43% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Southwestern is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate study in the arts and sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in historic Georgetown, north of Austin.
- SAT Range 1130-1300
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Net Price $32,228
Texas A & M International University
- Public 4 Year
- Laredo, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- 44% acceptance rate
Texas A&M International is a public university known for undergraduate international business and nursing. Its campus is in Laredo on the U.S.-Mexico border.
- SAT Range 890-1090
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Net Price $5,644
Texas Christian University
- Private 4 Year
- Fort Worth, TX
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- 44% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
TCU is a private university known for undergraduate business and communications. The residential campus sits a few miles from downtown Fort Worth.
- SAT Range 1140-1350
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.68
- Net Price $41,848
Austin College
- Private 4 Year
- Sherman, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- Jul 31 application deadline
Austin College is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and international studies. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Sherman, north of Dallas.
- SAT Range 1100-1310
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Net Price $23,462