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Largest community colleges in Texas

Community colleges in Texas ranked by total student enrollment, largest first. Bigger institutions generally offer broader program catalogs, more sections per term, more transfer agreements, and deeper student-services staffing — but smaller colleges often win on advisor attention, classroom intimacy, and faculty access.

  1. Lone Star College SystemThe Woodlands, TX45,188
  2. Dallas CollegeDallas, TX43,869
  3. Tarrant County College DistrictFort Worth, TX42,300
  4. Houston Community CollegeHouston, TX40,503
  5. Austin Community College DistrictAustin, TX30,189
  6. Collin County Community College DistrictMcKinney, TX26,449
  7. El Paso Community CollegeEl Paso, TX24,214
  8. San Jacinto Community CollegePasadena, TX22,969
  9. San Antonio CollegeSan Antonio, TX16,416
  10. South Texas CollegeMcAllen, TX15,856
  11. Blinn College DistrictBrenham, TX15,535
  12. Northwest Vista CollegeSan Antonio, TX13,993
  13. Del Mar CollegeCorpus Christi, TX9,501
  14. Tyler Junior CollegeTyler, TX9,087
  15. Palo Alto CollegeSan Antonio, TX8,801
  16. Amarillo CollegeAmarillo, TX7,399
  17. Northeast Lakeview CollegeUniversal City, TX6,471
  18. Central Texas CollegeKilleen, TX6,247
  19. South Plains CollegeLevelland, TX6,005
  20. North Central Texas CollegeGainesville, TX5,863
  21. Laredo CollegeLaredo, TX5,818
  22. McLennan Community CollegeWaco, TX5,668
  23. Weatherford CollegeWeatherford, TX5,094
  24. Odessa CollegeOdessa, TX4,654
  25. Wharton County Junior CollegeWharton, TX4,585
  26. Navarro CollegeCorsicana, TX3,781
  27. Texas Southmost CollegeBrownsville, TX3,372
  28. College of the MainlandTexas City, TX3,368
  29. Alvin Community CollegeAlvin, TX3,342
  30. Southwest Texas CollegeUvalde, TX3,306
  31. Kilgore CollegeKilgore, TX3,215
  32. Temple CollegeTemple, TX3,178
  33. Lamar Institute of TechnologyBeaumont, TX3,055
  34. Galen College of Nursing-San AntonioSan Antonio, TX2,953
  35. Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc.Houston, TX2,632
  36. Brazosport CollegeLake Jackson, TX2,622
  37. Victoria CollegeVictoria, TX2,351
  38. Hill CollegeHillsboro, TX2,253
  39. Vernon CollegeVernon, TX2,113
  40. Southwest University at El PasoEl Paso, TX2,073
  41. Northeast Texas Community CollegeMount Pleasant, TX1,973
  42. Coastal Bend CollegeBeeville, TX1,958
  43. Cisco CollegeCisco, TX1,620
  44. Howard CollegeBig Spring, TX1,611
  45. Universal Technical Institute-Dallas Fort WorthIrving, TX1,610
  46. Galen Health Institutes-HoustonHouston, TX1,582
  47. Lamar State College-Port ArthurPort Arthur, TX1,508
  48. Universal Technical Institute-West TexasAustin, TX1,335
  49. Galen Health Institutes-Austin CampusRound Rock, TX1,161
  50. Ranger CollegeRanger, TX971

Why size matters

Enrollment scale shapes nearly every aspect of the student experience at a community college. The largest Texas community colleges typically offer multiple sections of every general-education course, robust evening and weekend schedules for working students, full-service career centers and transfer advising offices, and deep portfolios of articulation agreements with four-year institutions across Texas and beyond. They also tend to operate multiple campuses or learning centers, which can put a community college within commuting distance of more residents.

Smaller community colleges in Texas compete on attention. Smaller cohorts mean a single academic advisor sees you across multiple semesters and can write a substantive recommendation when you transfer or apply for a job. Faculty teach more sections of fewer courses, which means the same instructor often guides you through a sequence rather than handing you off term to term. For students who thrive on relationship and continuity, the smaller institutions on this list can be the better choice even when the larger one offers more programs.

Use this list alongside the state's transfer-outcomes guide and the state's cost-and-aid guide. Together they let you triangulate fit on the three dimensions that matter most for community-college choice: program availability, total cost after aid, and how reliably the institution moves students on to the next step.