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Higher Education in Houston: an Overview

Houston has more than 300,000 students enrolled in over 500 degree and certification programs at its various colleges and universities.

Among the most notable educational institutions within the city include the following:

State Universities
There are four state universities located in Houston, each one separate and distinct from the other. These include:

  • The University of Houston, the third largest university in the state of Texas, with more than 40,000 students
  • The University of Houston – Downtown and The University of Houston – Clear Lake, two other universities which carry the name of The University of Houston but are considered stand-alone universities and not branch campuses
  • Texas Southern University, regarded as one of the largest historically black colleges and universities in the world

Community Colleges

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  • Houston has three community college districts:
    • Houston Community College System, the largest community college system on the Texas Gulf Coast
    • Lone Star College System, considered as one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the country, providing 180 programs to over 90,000 students seeking credits, certifications, and Associate Degrees
    • San Jacinto College, which offers more than 140 degrees and serves the southeastern portion of Houston

Private Universities
Private universities are divided into two categories: non-sectarian and sectarian.

For the non-sectarian universities, there’s:

  • Rice University, known as a Tier One research university offering 51 masters programs, 29 doctoral programs, and 40 undergraduate programs
  • North American University, which offers bachelor degree programs in three disciplines: Business Administration, Computer Science, and Education

As for the sectarian private universities, there are three of them located in Houston:

  • Houston Baptist University, with pre-professional programs ranging from Biblical Languages to Nursing
  • University of St. Thomas, a Catholic institution with more than 3,700 students from 40 states and 58 countries
  • Houston Graduate School of Theology, which identifies with historic evangelical Christianity, training students from more than 30 denominational traditions