The Best Finance Programs in Texas for 2026

TCU's Neeley School of Business runs its BBA in Finance with direct admission, meaning applicants apply straight into the business school rather than transferring in later. Students get hands-on experience through the TCU Educational Investment Fund, where undergrads and MBAs jointly manage a $1.5 million portfolio, executing trades and building diversification strategies themselves. The Luther King Capital Management Center for Financial Studies connects students to industry alumni and the annual Investment Strategies Conference, and financial analysis coursework is built to prepare students for the Chartered Financial Analyst exam, with CFA exam prep provided directly by the school. Sample courses include Investments, Money and Banking, Financial Management, Financial Modeling, and International Finance.

TCU graduates 86% of students and admits 44%, tighter than Texas A&M but looser than UT Austin. Tuition is flat at $61,650 a year regardless of residency, since it's a private school, versus $11,688 in-state at UT Austin or $9,092 at Texas A&M. Its 92.7 Hakia Score ranks it fourth in Texas; it fits students who want a private school's CFA-focused resources and a real student-managed fund, and who can absorb a cost that runs $50,000 or more above the state schools' in-state rates.

Baylor's Hankamer School of Business splits the finance major into two tracks: corporate finance, which covers which assets a firm should acquire and how to raise funds to buy them, and investments, which covers valuing stocks and bonds and managing a portfolio. The required core is FIN 4360 Advanced Corporate Finance, FIN 4365 Investment Analysis, and ACC 3305 Intermediate Accounting I, plus one course from a risk management, real estate, or derivatives elective. Six more elective hours come from a list of 15 courses, including Financial Modeling, Mergers and Acquisitions, Options, Futures and Other Derivatives, and a Practicum in Portfolio Management, and students headed into deal work can take the Baylor Angel Network Practicum, a hands-on venture financing course.

Baylor posts an 80% graduation rate against a 51% admit rate, roughly half of applicants get in, making it a moderately selective private option. Tuition is flat at $58,100 whether the student is a Texas resident or not, since Baylor charges no in-state discount. Enrollment across the university runs 20,626. Weighed against its IPEDS-tracked outcomes, Baylor earns a Hakia Score of 92.4, the No. 5 finance program in Texas for 2026.

Nationally, financial analysts earn a median $88,870 a year, per BLS data, a field-wide figure, not a Baylor-specific outcome. The program fits students who want a defined corporate finance versus investments split and can pay the same tuition regardless of home state.

UT Dallas runs its BS in Finance out of the Naveen Jindal School of Management with six named concentrations: Corporate Finance, Investment, FinTech, Financial Management, Real Estate Finance, and Risk Management and Insurance Technology. The school also runs the Professional Leadership Program in Finance, a two to three year track built around outcomes with employers, and pairs core coursework with AI skills through a dedicated career track. The Richardson campus sits inside the Dallas Fort Worth finance corridor, which the program leans on for recruiting into banking, corporate finance, consulting, and investment management.

The program graduates 76% of students against a 65% admit rate, a wider gate than Baylor's 51% or Trinity's 26%, though tighter than Texas Tech's 73%. The tuition split is the real decision point: $10,639 a year in-state against $36,139 out-of-state, a gap of $25,500, more than 3 times the in-state price. Enrollment across UT Dallas runs 29,886, among the larger student bodies in this group. Combined with its IPEDS-tracked outcomes, UT Dallas earns a Hakia Score of 90.4, No. 6 in Texas.

The national median for financial analysts is $88,870 a year, per BLS data, the same figure used across every school in this ranking. UT Dallas is the strongest value case here for Texas residents who want concentration choice without private school pricing; out-of-state students pay a real premium to get the same six tracks.

Trinity's finance B.S., housed in the Neidorff School of Business, is AACSB accredited and holds a CFA Institute University Affiliation Program designation. Coursework includes Equity Valuation, which builds the ability to value a company's equity from financial statements and forecasts, and Investments, covering securities, bonds, and sector analysis. The signature course is the Student Managed Fund, where finance majors manage a real slice of the university's endowment. Graduates have gone on to BoA, JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, PwC Advisory, and USAA, and Poets&Quants named the Neidorff School a 2025 Undergraduate Business School to Watch.

Trinity is the most selective school in this group at a 26% admit rate, and it backs that selectivity with the highest graduation rate of the four, 84%. Tuition runs flat at $53,352, the same for in-state and out-of-state students. Total enrollment is 2,687, by far the smallest of the four, meaning a smaller pool competing for Student Managed Fund seats and faculty time. Weighed against its IPEDS outcomes data, Trinity earns a Hakia Score of 89.1, No. 7 in Texas.

Financial analysts earn a national median of $88,870 a year, per BLS data, a field figure that applies to every school on this list, not a Trinity-specific result. The program fits students prepared to compete for a low admit rate in exchange for a small cohort and direct portfolio management experience.

Texas Tech's BBA in Finance runs through the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business over 120 credit hours across four years. Required coursework includes Financial Statement Analysis (FIN 3321), Corporation Finance I (FIN 3322), Financial Markets and Institutions (FIN 3323), and Investments (FIN 3324). Students can add a BRIC certificate in Banking, Real Estate, Investment, or Corporate Risk Management and Insurance, and manage a $4M student run investment fund with Bloomberg certification built in. An accelerated path lets qualified students add a Master of Science in Finance in one extra year. The Rawls College holds AACSB accreditation, which the school notes fewer than 6% of business schools worldwide carry, and reports a 94% job placement rate for its 2024-2025 graduating class.

Texas Tech is the most accessible school in this group, admitting 73% of applicants, and the most affordable: $8,935 a year in-state against $21,240 out-of-state, a gap of $12,305. Its 69% graduation rate is the lowest of the four, the tradeoff for that open admit rate and low price. Enrollment is 40,757, the largest of the four by a wide margin. Set against its IPEDS-sourced outcomes, Texas Tech earns a Hakia Score of 85.5, No. 8 in Texas.

Nationally, financial analysts earn a median $88,870 a year, per BLS data, a field-wide number that holds regardless of which school a graduate attends. Texas Tech fits cost-conscious students, especially Texas residents, who want certificate options and scale over the smaller, pricier private programs in this group.

University of Houston is a public institution in Houston, TX. Its Bachelor's in Finance program ranks #9 of the 12 analyzed here with an 83.8 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 88.8 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 65% of its students, below the 75% average across the ranked schools. University of Houston admits 74% of applicants, less selective than the 54% average for the group. That is more open than the 26% rate at Trinity University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 55% to 89%.

On cost, University of Houston charges $8,685 a year in-state, roughly 2.5x the $21,515 out-of-state rate. Over four years that is about $34,740 in tuition for residents, against $86,060 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $5,856 at Sam Houston State University to $61,650 at Texas Christian University. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its low in-state cost.

Based in Huntsville, TX, Sam Houston State University is a public institution. Its Bachelor's in Finance program lands at #10 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 82.8 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 88.8 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 55% of its students, below the 75% average across the ranked schools. Sam Houston State University admits 90% of applicants, less selective than the 54% average for the group. That is more open than the 26% rate at Trinity University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 55% to 89%.

On cost, Sam Houston State University charges $5,856 a year in-state, roughly 2.7x the $15,696 out-of-state rate. Over four years that is about $23,424 in tuition for residents, against $62,784 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $5,856 at Sam Houston State University to $61,650 at Texas Christian University. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its low in-state cost.

Austin College is a private, nonprofit institution in Sherman, TX. Its Bachelor's in Finance program ranks #11 of the 12 analyzed here with an 81.3 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 88.8 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 67% of its students, below the 75% average across the ranked schools. Austin College admits 48% of applicants, more selective than the 54% average for the group. That is more open than the 26% rate at Trinity University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands in the middle of the pack in a group where graduation runs from 55% to 89%.

On cost, Austin College charges $47,936 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $191,744 in tuition. That puts it at the higher end on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $5,856 at Sam Houston State University to $61,650 at Texas Christian University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its genuine selectivity.

Based in Longview, TX, LeTourneau University is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Bachelor's in Finance program lands at #12 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 80.3 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 88.8 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 59% of its students, below the 75% average across the ranked schools. LeTourneau University admits 38% of applicants, more selective than the 54% average for the group. That is more open than the 26% rate at Trinity University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 55% to 89%.

On cost, LeTourneau University charges $36,340 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $145,360 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $5,856 at Sam Houston State University to $61,650 at Texas Christian University. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $88,870 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the draw here is genuine selectivity paired with an online option.