Austin, the capital of the Lone Star State of Texas, is one of the student-friendliest cities in the USA. Austin is known as America’s quirkiest city, and the locals’ favorite slogan is: “Keep Austin weird!” When night falls, the streets become vibrant with crowds of young people looking for a place to have fun till dawn. The city does not disappoint in this respect either—Austin is known as the world’s live music capital.
Austin surpassed popular cities like San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle in size to become the 11th-biggest city in the United States by 2012, even without establishing a medical school and a teaching hospital, which is an achievement in itself. With 90,000 undergraduates, this place is also the most youthful major city in the United States in terms of population per capita.
If this interests you, we have prepared a list of cheap universities in Austin where you can study your chosen programs!
Affordable Schools in Austin for International Students
1. National American University
National American University is one of Texas’s few institutions offering a fully accredited bachelor’s program in counterterrorism. While it used to have its physical campus in the city, its Henley-Putnam School of Strategic Studies now provides the programs online. During the four years of full-time study, students learn some basic counterterrorism strategies and recognize the conditions that favor the spread of terrorism around the world.
High-ranking security experts conduct all courses with a solid academic background and substantial field experience. In addition to the Henley-Putnam School of Strategic Studies, the university has other colleges that offer different undergraduate programs in business, accounting and technology, health sciences, and legal studies.
2. University of Texas at Austin
Since 1883, the University of Texas at Austin has become the largest and most influential higher education provider in the Lone Star State. It now has more than 50,000 students and 3,000 faculty members, and the share of international students is over ten percent.
The University of Texas at Austin’s work is organized into six major colleges and 12 schools. It is one of the best public institutions in Texas, and it offers more than 170 majors and a very high rate of professional success for its graduates. In 2023, this cheap university in Austin was ranked the eighth best-value public college in the USA and the thirteenth best university for scientific research.
3. Huston-Tillotson University
This higher education provider began in 1952 under the name Huston-Tillotson College. It was formed following the merger of Samuel Huston College and Tillotson College. Since its inception, the college has been affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church. Huston-Tillotson College became Huston-Tillotson University in 2005.
Computer science, business administration, and environmental studies are this school’s most popular undergraduate majors. However, it also offers 14 other concentrations and five minors. It also has two master’s programs: business administration and educational leadership.
4. Concordia University of Texas
Founded in 1926, Concordia University of Texas is a higher education provider in Austin with a solid Christian affiliation. The school is organized into four significant colleges offering over 30 degree programs in various academic fields, with a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Moreover, it’s important to remember that all majors can be highly customizable and adaptable with concentrations, minors, and pre-professional tracks.
International students mostly choose this cheap university in Austin for its nationally recognized programs in business and communication. However, the College of Humanities & Social Sciences is also very popular among young people in Austin.
5. Texas Health and Science University
Texas Health and Science University is one of the few higher education institutions in the state to offer a fully accredited bachelor’s program in traditional Chinese medicine. It was established in 1990 with the sole aim of educating acupuncturists. In August 2023, the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine acknowledged the school as an accredited institution.
Its Master of Acupuncture with a Chinese Herbal Medicine Specialization is ten trimesters long and requires 153 credits. In addition to the standard yearly tuition fee, international students are liable to pay several additional payments, such as an application fee ($150) and a foreign transcript evaluation fee ($275).
6. St. Edward’s University
Founded in 1887, St. Edward’s University is a private Catholic university in Austin, Texas. Its main campus has over 4,000 full-time undergraduate students, seven percent from more than 50 countries worldwide. It’s also one of the cheapest schools to major in photography and media arts, bioinformatics, and video game development.
Although international undergraduate students’ average annual tuition fees appear high, over 80% of all St. Edward’s University undergraduates received scholarships for the 2018-2019 academic year. Moreover, the school considers merit scholarships to all incoming first-year students through the standard admissions process, which can amount to $12,000 to $30,000 annually.
In the article above, we highlighted the undergraduate tuition rates and the most popular programs offered by seven of the most affordable universities in Austin. Of all candidates, the University of Texas at Austin provides the most transparent and student-friendly tuition rates. So, if you want to study in this city, consider the listed institutions for more affordable tuition fees.
Hopefully, this article on Austin, Texas’s affordable universities was insightful. If you are interested in studying abroad, specifically in the United States, check out our Study in the USA and the Available Programs for International Students in the USA!
