“Texas university” isn’t one school — it’s a landscape of competing systems, flagship research campuses, and private institutions that punch well above their size. Knowing which is which matters if you’re comparing schools, since a “Texas A&M” campus in Kingsville is a different institution than the flagship in College Station, and the Texas State University System is a completely different organization than Texas State University itself.
The University of Texas System
The University of Texas at Austin is the flagship of the nine-campus UT System, enrolling more than 50,000 students and ranking among the country’s largest and most research-intensive public universities. It’s home to the McCombs School of Business, the Cockrell School of Engineering, and one of the largest athletic departments in the country; the Longhorns left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2024. Other UT System campuses — UT Dallas, UT San Antonio, UT Arlington and UT El Paso among them — operate independently with their own admissions, presidents and identities, rather than as satellite branches of the Austin campus.
The Texas A&M University System
Texas A&M University in College Station is one of the largest single-campus universities in the country, with enrollment above 70,000 when counting all colleges. It’s known for its Corps of Cadets (one of the largest uniformed student bodies outside the US military academies), a heavily research-focused engineering program, and a fiercely loyal alumni network (“the Aggie network”). A&M moved from the Big 12 to the SEC in 2012, over a decade before Texas made the same move. The wider A&M System includes separate campuses such as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Other Major Public Universities
Texas Tech University in Lubbock anchors West Texas higher education and competes in the Big 12. The University of Houston, a Carnegie-classified top-tier research university, joined the Big 12 in 2023 after building a nationally ranked basketball program. The University of North Texas in Denton runs one of the largest and most respected music programs in the country, including its famous jazz studies division. Texas State University in San Marcos, covered in detail in our dedicated Texas State University guide, is one of the fastest-growing large public universities in the state and competes in the Sun Belt Conference.
Private Universities Worth Knowing
Rice University in Houston is small by design — under 5,000 undergraduates — but consistently ranks among the most selective universities in the country, particularly for engineering and the sciences. Baylor University in Waco is the largest Baptist university in the world and competes in the Big 12, with strong law and business programs. Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas moved to the ACC in 2024 and is known for its business school and proximity to the Dallas corporate and media market.
How the “University Systems” Actually Work
Texas groups most public universities into systems that share a board of regents and central administration but operate independently day to day. The UT System and Texas A&M System are the two largest. A third, the Texas State University System — despite the name — is a separate governing body that includes Sam Houston State University, Lamar University and Sul Ross State University, among others, and is not the parent organization of Texas State University in San Marcos, which is its own institution within that system.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest university in Texas?
By total enrollment across all colleges, Texas A&M University in College Station is the largest single campus, with more than 70,000 students.
What’s the difference between UT Austin and the UT System?
UT Austin is the flagship campus; the UT System is the governing body overseeing nine separate UT campuses, including UT Dallas, UT San Antonio and UT El Paso, each with its own admissions and identity.
Is Texas State University part of the Texas State University System?
Yes, but the system also governs several other unrelated schools, including Sam Houston State University and Lamar University — the shared name is a common source of confusion.
Which Texas universities are in the SEC?
Texas A&M (since 2012) and the University of Texas at Austin (since 2024) are both SEC members.
What is Rice University known for?
Rice is a small, highly selective private research university in Houston, particularly well regarded for engineering, applied science and its low student-to-faculty ratio.
