There are 226 colleges and universities in the State of Texas that are listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. These institutions include thirty-four research universities, twenty-nine master's universities, ninety-two undergraduate schools, and seventy-one special-focus institutions. One hundred twenty-three of Texas' post-secondary institutions are private, of which fifty-four are for-profit. One hundred three of the state's post-secondary institutions are public.[1]
Southwestern University is the state's oldest post-secondary institution, having been founded in 1840 as Rutersville College, while the oldest continually operating post-secondary institution is Baylor University, founded in 1845.[2] Texas A&M University is the state's largest of higher learning in terms of enrollment and largest public university, having 77,491 students [3] while Southwest College for the Deaf is the state's smallest college with an enrollment of 48 in the fall of 2023.[4] Texas is also home to a number of internationally recognized universities, including the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, and Rice University which are ranked among the top two hundred universities in the world.[5]
Texas A&M University and Prairie View A&M University are the state's two public land-grant universities. There are also six Catholic post-secondary institutions, including St. Edward's University, University of Dallas, and University of the Incarnate Word. There are also four Southern Baptist post-secondary institutions in Texas, including Baylor University and Hardin-Simmons University. The state has sixteen medical schools,[6] thirteen conventional and three Osteopathic programs. There are ten law schools,[7] which are accredited by the American Bar Association, including Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, Texas Tech University School of Law, and University of Houston Law Center. Two hundred sixteen of Texas post-secondary institutions are officially recognized by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), while most are accredited by multiple higher education accreditation agencies.