Huston-Tillotson University

Private · Selective · TX

Photo: Larry D. Moore (CC BY 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationTX · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads1,005

Student:faculty14:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate27.1%

6-yr grad rate33.9%

Drop-out rate41.8%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$27k

Out-of-state tuition$27k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity92.8%

Gender diversity54%

International19%

IdentityHBCU · Multiple Protestant Denomination

Overview

Huston-Tillotson University is Austin's historically Black university, formed from the 1952 merger of Samuel Huston College and Tillotson College, two nineteenth-century institutions, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church and United Church of Christ. Sitting just east of downtown Austin, it holds deep roots in the East Austin Black community and predates the University of Texas as the city's first institution of higher education. As part of the United Negro College Fund network, it carries both a long historical identity and a small, tightly connected present-day campus.

Academics

Education and business are established strengths, and the university has been building out STEM pathways in recent years, often through partnerships that connect students directly to Austin's growing tech sector and its major employers. Class sizes are small, supporting close relationships with faculty and a personal advising culture typical of HBCUs of its size. Students frequently describe faculty as genuinely invested in individual progress rather than treating undergraduates as one of a crowd, and the small scale makes leadership opportunities on campus, from student government to campus ministry, unusually accessible early on.

Campus & student life

The compact urban campus sits within walking distance of downtown Austin, giving students access to a major city while remaining rooted in a historic, tight-knit community. Campus culture emphasizes heritage and identity, with traditions tied to the school's HBCU legacy and its long history in East Austin's Black community. Athletics compete at the NAIA level, and campus organizations, including a strong choir and gospel tradition, reflect the university's historically Methodist and Congregationalist church roots.

Getting in

Admissions are holistic and relatively accessible compared with Austin's most selective institutions, with UNCF-network scholarships and need-based aid playing a significant role in how the school builds its class. The university tends to emphasize potential and personal story alongside academic record, consistent with its historical mission of educating students, including first-generation college students, who might be overlooked by more selective admissions processes.

After graduation

Many graduates stay in the Austin area, moving into local teaching positions, business roles, and the city's expanding tech sector through the university's STEM partnerships. The alumni network is closely tied to Austin's Black professional and civic community, and Huston-Tillotson's small size means the network functions less like a huge database and more like a genuinely reachable set of personal connections.

Worth knowing

Its location in one of the fastest-growing and most expensive tech hubs in the country creates both unusual industry-adjacent opportunity and real neighborhood-change pressure that are part of the campus's ongoing story, as historically Black East Austin has changed rapidly around it.

htu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate39.1%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 800–1160 · ACT 16–28

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Own application.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗