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Texas · State guide

Community college transfer in Texas

A complete guide to how to transfer from a community college to a university in Texas — including the state's 67 accredited community colleges, the major receiving universities, and the statewide articulation programs that govern credit transfer.

67
Community colleges
39%
Avg transfer rate
$3,593
In-state tuition / yr
27%
Completion rate

How transfer works in Texas

Two-year colleges in Texas serve as the primary on-ramp to a bachelor's degree for tens of thousands of in-state residents each year. The state's 67 accredited community colleges enroll a median of 6,193 students each, charge an average of $3,593 per year for in-state residents, and transfer roughly 39% of incoming degree-seeking students into a four-year institution within six years.

Like most U.S. states, Texas coordinates community-college-to-university transfers through a combination of statewide articulation agreements, common course-numbering schemes, and institution-specific transfer pathways. A student who completes the state's transfer-oriented associate degree — typically an AA or AS bearing a "transfer" or "university parallel" designation — usually receives junior standing at the receiving public university, with all general-education requirements considered satisfied.

Statewide articulation programs in Texas

Several formal agreements govern how credits move between Texas community colleges and the state's four-year institutions. Understanding which one applies to your intended major is the single most important planning step in your first semester.

Texas Fields of Study

Min GPA: 2 · Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Completing a state-approved Field of Study at a Texas community college guarantees that the entire block transfers to any Texas public university for the named major.

Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS)

Min GPA: 2 · Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Standardizes lower-division course numbers across Texas public colleges so courses transfer one-for-one between participating institutions.

Top receiving universities for Texas transfer students

The most common 2+2 destinations for community college students in Texas are the state's flagship and regional public universities. Each has a published transfer-admission policy with a minimum GPA, a credit-hour cap, and an application deadline distinct from the freshman cycle.

UniversitySystemMin transfer GPAApplication window
University of Texas at Austin University of Texas System 3 Mar 1 (fall) / Oct 1 (spring)
Texas A&M University Texas A&M System 2.5 Mar 1 (fall) / Oct 1 (spring)
University of Houston University of Houston System 2.5 Apr 1 (fall) / Oct 1 (spring)
University of North Texas UNT System 2.5 Jul 1 (fall)
Texas State University Texas State University System 2.5 Jul 1 (fall)
University of Texas at Dallas University of Texas System 3 May 1 (fall) / Oct 1 (spring)

Costs and aid in Texas

Community college tuition in Texas averages $3,593 per year for in-state residents and $9,593 for out-of-state students. Most colleges layer the federal Pell Grant — worth up to about $7,400 per year for the lowest-income students — with state need-based aid, institutional scholarships, and federal Direct Loans where required. Roughly two of every three community college students in the state receive some form of grant aid, and a substantial minority pay nothing at all out of pocket for tuition once aid is applied.

The practical playbook is the same in every Texas city: pick a target four-year institution before you finish your first semester at the community college, find that school's articulation agreement on the receiving registrar's website, and lock in your course selections accordingly. Skipping this step is the single most common reason transfer students lose credit on the way to the bachelor's degree — surveys regularly find that around forty percent of transfer credit is wasted nationally, almost always because the student picked courses without checking the articulation table first.

Largest community colleges in Texas

Amarillo College

~8,481 students · transfer rate 38%

Frank Phillips College

~8,470 students · transfer rate 39%

Temple College

~8,408 students · transfer rate 31%

Lee College

~8,242 students · transfer rate 45%

Vernon College

~8,241 students · transfer rate 32%

Brazosport College

~8,219 students · transfer rate 40%

Plan your Texas transfer by program area

Each program-area page below combines Texas's state-specific articulation rules with the typical two-year coursework for that major. Use it to confirm prerequisites and the most common receiving universities for your intended bachelor's.

Every community college in Texas