The capital city of the great state of Texas, Austin is the home of the University of Texas’ Main Campus and has as much of a college-town feel as you can find in the South. Music is the heartbeat of the city, and other artistic endeavors are constantly on display alongside government buildings and manufacturing.
With a population of just shy of 1 million as of the 2020 Census, there are a lot of people, a lot of things to do, and a lot of options for postsecondary education.
Universities in Austin, TX – 4-Year Colleges and Online
UT-Austin has a sterling reputation for producing notable alumni, and in addition to Nobel Prize winners like J.M Coetzee and Pulitzer Prize winners Gail Caldwell and Ben Sargent, UT-Austin’s 4-year programs have also produced more than 30 Congressmembers, including Lloyd Bentsen and Tom Clark, and another pretty prominent figure in Washington, D.C., Mrs. Laura Bush.
Artists from this school are also aplenty (as is art, itself, throughout the city) and include:
- Janis Joplin
- Matthew McConaughey
- Jayne Mansfield (Golden Globe winner)
- Farrah Fawcett
The list of professional athletes from UT-Austin is almost endless, as their sports programs are forever competitive. Olympic gold medalists Kevin Durant, Ian Crocker, and Mary Lou Retton top the list.
Outside of UT-Austin (whose mark on the city can’t be understated), there are a few other options for 4-year college in Austin:
- Austin Graduate School of Theology (has bachelor’s programs)
- Concordia University
- Hutson-Tillotson
- National American University
- Saint Edward’s University
- Strayer University – Texas
- TX Health and Sciences University
- The Art Institute of Austin
Community Colleges in Austin
In addition to the UT Main Campus, Austin also takes a lot of pride in its community college system, The Austin Community College District, which also offers some bachelor’s programs and pathways to the universities mentioned above.
There are also several options for specialized schools, with those in the arts being more accessible in Austin than in many other parts of the South.
Get to Know Austin
Though Nashville and Los Angeles sometimes argue, Austin was given the title “The Music Capital of the World” in 1991, due to the number of music venues per capita. It also hosts two of the country’s biggest music festivals, Austin City Limits and South by Southwest, both annually held in the city.
Tech industry giants have also been moving to Austin in waves, and Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, and more all have regional (at least) offices in the city. The only professional sports team (for now) is Austin FC, the soccer club that plays there.
The weather is good, the watersports are plentiful, and the beaches near Houston are only about a four-hour drive if you need a weekend on the Gulf.