Texas has more engineering jobs than almost any other state — driven by the energy industry in Houston, the defense and aerospace sector in San Antonio and Fort Worth, the tech corridor in Austin and Dallas, and one of the largest infrastructure buildouts in the country. It also has two nationally ranked engineering programs available at in-state tuition, a state grant program that covers full tuition for qualifying students, and one of the most generous military tuition benefits in the US.
Here's what actually matters when choosing an engineering program in Texas — and how to pay for it.
How to pay for engineering school in Texas
Before the school list, the funding picture — because Texas has state-specific programs most students never find.
TEXAS Grant: The Toward EXcellence, Access, and Success Grant covers tuition and fees at Texas public universities for qualifying Texas residents from lower-income households. Students must demonstrate financial need via FAFSA, enroll at least three-quarter time, and maintain SAP. TEXAS Grant can be renewed annually and stacks with federal Pell Grants and institutional aid. Contact your school's financial aid office to confirm eligibility — awards vary by institution. See highered.texas.gov.
Texas Hazlewood Act: Texas exempts honorably discharged veterans, their spouses, and dependent children from tuition and fees at public Texas institutions — up to 150 credit hours. This is one of the most valuable state-level military education benefits in the country. Engineering students who are veterans or dependents of veterans attending any Texas public university pay zero tuition. See your school's veterans services office to apply.
SMART Scholarship: The DoD SMART Scholarship covers full tuition plus $25,000–$38,000/year stipend for engineering students at participating institutions committing to DoD civilian employment. Texas A&M and UT Austin both have strong SMART positioning through their defense research programs. Apply at smartscholarship.org.
In-state tuition: Texas residents attending Texas public universities pay dramatically less than out-of-state or private school alternatives. UT Austin engineering in-state tuition runs approximately $13,000–$15,000/year. Texas A&M runs approximately $12,000–$14,000/year. Both programs compete nationally — graduates recruit directly into top engineering employers regardless of in-state vs. private school status.
Energy industry co-ops: Houston is the energy capital of the US. ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, and dozens of major energy companies recruit heavily from Texas engineering programs. Co-op and internship compensation in the energy sector runs $28,000–$40,000+ per rotation. Students at UT Austin, Texas A&M, and University of Houston have direct pipelines into these programs.
The Best Colleges for Engineering in Texas)
University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)
Best overall Texas engineering program — top 10 nationally
UT Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering is consistently ranked among the top 10 engineering programs in the US and is the highest-ranked engineering school in Texas. The school offers undergraduate programs across nine engineering disciplines — petroleum, civil, environmental, computer, aerospace, chemical, electrical, mechanical, and biomedical engineering.
UT Austin has particularly strong programs in petroleum engineering and chemical engineering — driven by deep relationships with the Texas energy industry. The Cockrell School's research expenditures exceed $150M annually, creating strong pathways to SMART Scholarship and NSF GRFP awards for graduate students.
For Texas residents: TEXAS Grant eligibility at in-state tuition (~$13,000–$15,000/year) makes UT Austin one of the strongest financial value propositions in American engineering education. Need-based financial aid from the university stacks with state programs.
Co-op and internship access: UT Austin's Austin location puts students in the center of the Texas tech corridor — Dell, Apple's Austin campus, Tesla Gigafactory, and dozens of major tech employers recruit directly from Cockrell. Energy industry recruiting from Houston also flows heavily to UT Austin.
SMART positioning: Strong, particularly for aerospace, electrical, and chemical engineering disciplines with DoD relevance.
Texas A&M University (College Station, TX)
Best for petroleum, aerospace, and agricultural engineering — largest program in the US
Texas A&M's College of Engineering is the largest engineering college in the United States by enrollment, with 15 undergraduate engineering majors. Its petroleum engineering program is consistently ranked #1 nationally. Aerospace, chemical, civil, nuclear, and ocean engineering programs are all ranked in the top 15 nationally.
Texas A&M's military heritage — it's one of six senior military colleges in the US — makes it particularly well-positioned for Hazlewood Act benefits and SMART Scholarship placement. The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) is one of the largest engineering research organizations in the country, with $200M+ in annual research expenditures.
For Texas residents: In-state tuition (~$12,000–$14,000/year) plus TEXAS Grant eligibility makes A&M the most affordable path to a top-ranked petroleum or aerospace engineering degree in the US.
Co-op and internship access: A&M's Houston-area alumni network and energy industry relationships are exceptional. ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Halliburton recruit heavily from A&M.
SMART positioning: Excellent, particularly for aerospace and nuclear engineering with strong DoD research relationships.
Rice University (Houston, TX)
Best private engineering program in Texas — strongest research environment
Rice University's George R. Brown School of Engineering is the most selective engineering program in Texas (9% acceptance rate) and the only Texas engineering program that competes directly with MIT, Caltech, and Stanford in research output per faculty member. Its small size — fewer than 4,000 undergraduates — means exceptional research access for engineering students.
Rice's Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) gives students of all disciplines access to prototyping and fabrication tools from their first semester. The Houston location places students in the center of the energy and medical device industry — both major engineering employers.
Financial aid: Rice meets 100% of demonstrated financial need and has a no-loan policy for students from families earning under $130,000. Despite its $60,000+ sticker price, Rice can be cheaper than UT Austin for lower-income students after institutional aid.
SMART positioning: Strong for energy systems and biomedical engineering through Houston's Texas Medical Center partnerships.
University of Houston (Houston, TX)
Best Houston public engineering program — energy industry access
UH's Cullen College of Engineering sits in Houston — the energy capital of the US — which gives its students unmatched access to energy industry co-ops and internships. The Honors Engineering Program provides a select cohort with priority access to internship and job placement resources. PROMES (Program for Mastery of Engineering) offers workshops, scholarships, and industry recruitment specifically for engineering students.
For Texas residents: In-state tuition plus TEXAS Grant eligibility makes UH an excellent value for Houston-area students who want to stay close to the energy industry during their degree.
Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX)
Best Dallas-area private engineering program
SMU's Lyle School of Engineering offers strong programs in civil, electrical, mechanical, and environmental engineering with a focus on leadership development through the Hart Center for Engineering Leadership. The Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity provides community-engaged research opportunities.
SMU's Dallas location gives students access to the DFW aerospace and defense sector — Lockheed Martin, Bell Flight, and L3Harris Technologies all have major operations in DFW and recruit from SMU. SMU offers merit scholarships for competitive engineering applicants.
University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, TX)
Best DFW public engineering program — aerospace and defense access
UT Arlington's College of Engineering is the highest-rated engineering program in North Texas. Located in the heart of the DFW metroplex, UTA students have direct access to the dense aerospace and defense employer cluster in the region — Lockheed Martin, Bell Flight, American Airlines, and dozens of defense contractors recruit from UTA.
For Texas residents: In-state tuition plus TEXAS Grant eligibility. UTA's engineering program is a strong value option for students targeting DFW aerospace and defense employment.
University of Texas at Dallas (Richardson, TX)
Best for cybersecurity, robotics, and tech industry engineering
UT Dallas's Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science sits in the middle of the Telecom Corridor — one of the densest tech employer clusters in the US. AT&T, Ericsson, Nokia, Cisco, and hundreds of tech companies are within a short commute of campus. UTD's programs in cybersecurity, systems engineering, and robotics are particularly strong.
For Texas residents: In-state tuition plus TEXAS Grant. UTD's location in the Telecom Corridor creates co-op density that rivals much larger programs.
Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX)
Best West Texas engineering program — petroleum and energy focus
Texas Tech's Whitacre College of Engineering has particular strength in petroleum engineering — the Bob L. Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering is ranked in the top 20 nationally. For students targeting West Texas and Permian Basin energy employment, Texas Tech's location and industry relationships are unmatched. In-state tuition plus TEXAS Grant eligibility.
University of North Texas (Denton, TX)
Best for defense research and emerging engineering disciplines
UNT's College of Engineering has strong partnerships with Air Force and Army research labs — creating SMART Scholarship pathways particularly for students in bioengineering, cybersecurity, and materials science. Its location in the DFW area gives students access to defense industry employment. In-state tuition plus TEXAS Grant eligibility.
Explore the Best Engineering Schools by discipline
Texas is home to some of the best engineering schools in the nation. These schools show up on the "best of" list for most of the engineering disciplines out there, but it's worth noting that each engineering sub-discipline has its own funding landscape and employer networks. We've written national guides to cover each in depth:
- Best colleges for aerospace engineering — NASA, DARPA, Air Force Research Lab pathways
- Best colleges for chemical engineering — energy industry co-ops, AIChE scholarships
- Best colleges for civil engineering — state DOT programs, ASCE scholarships, PSLF
- Best colleges for nuclear engineering — NRC scholarships, DOE fellowships
- Best colleges for biomedical engineering — NIH fellowships, medical device co-ops
- Best colleges for software engineering — tech industry recruiting, CyberCorps
- Best engineering schools — national pillar with all disciplines and SMART Scholarship overview
