Huston-Tillotson University is an independent, church-based, historically black school
that is affiliated with the United Methodist
Church, the United Church of Christ,
and the United Negro College Fund. The
school’s mission is to “provide opportunities to a diverse population for academic
achievement with an emphasis on academic
excellence, spiritual and ethical development, civic engagement, and leadership in a
nurturing environment.”
The Austin campus is located on 23 acres
near downtown Austin; the college also owns
6 acres of property adjacent to the campus
for future expansion and development, as
well as a biological field station south of the
city that faculty and students use for environmental research. The school awards four-year
undergraduate degrees in business, education, humanities, natural sciences, social
sciences, and technology. The general college
curriculum is focused on providing “a diverse
student body with an exemplary education
that is grounded in the liberal arts and sciences,
balanced with professional development, and
directed to public service and leadership.”
The average class size is 24, and classes are
intentionally small to provide personalized
attention to students. Enrollment for the 2015-
2016 under-graduate academic year is 968.
Annual tuition for full-time undergraduates
was $13,544; books and supplies is $1,040;
on-campus room and board was $7,568; and
miscellaneous fees totaled $5,432.
Park University
10415 Morado Circle, Avallon II
Suite 100, Austin 78759
512-385-PARK (7275); www.park.edu (main);
www.park.edu/austin (Austin campus)
Founded in 1875 with its main campus in
Parkville, Missouri, Park University is part of
the University’s School for Extended Learning.
An independent, private, Christian school
offering students a four-year, liberal arts education in a co-educational environment, Park
University is accredited by the North Central
Association of Colleges and Schools. Park
University has 40 campus centers across 20
states, as well as an extensive online program.
The Austin campus was established in 1975
at the former Bergstrom Air Force Base,
founded to meet the educational needs of
primarily military members and their dependents, as well as civilians. That’s still the case
today; the Austin campus is part of the Park
University School for Extended Learning, which
offers online classes and flexible schedules.
Park University offers several online degree
options, including two-year associate of
science degrees (computer science, management and management/accounting);
four-year bachelor of science degrees
(computer science, management, management/accounting, management/computer
information systems, management/human
resources, management/marketing, and
social psychology), plus six graduate
programs, also online.
Tuition is $369/credit hour at all campuses
although not many schools will allow
students to pay by credit hour. Active duty
military tuition is $245/credit hour, and the
school’s nursing program is $22,357 per year.
Internet courses are $316/credit hour for
civilians; $210/credit hour for ac-tive duty
military; and $441/credit hour for online
graduate courses.
St. Edward’s University
3001 S. Congress Avenue, Austin 78704
855-468-6738; www.stedwards.edu
St. Edward’s University is a private, Catholic
liberal arts college that was founded in 1885 by
the Reverend Edward Sorin, Superior General
of the Congregation of Holy Cross, who also
founded the University of Notre Dame. St.
Edward’s emphasizes critical thinking, ethical
practice, an international perspective, and a
liberal arts education, as well as small classes,
personal attention, study abroad programs,
and service-learning opportunities. U.S. News
& World Report has ranked the school as one
of “America’s Best Colleges” for the last
eight years; Forbes and the Center for College
Affordability have also named St. Edward’s
among “America’s Best Colleges.”
St. Edward’s offers undergraduate degrees
in more than 50 areas and five schools,
Enrollment was about 4,023. The school’s
full-time ( 12-18 credit hours) flat rate per
semester for undergraduate tuition was
$20, 214.
Southwestern University
1001 E. University Avenue, Georgetown 78626
512-863-6511; www.southwestern.edu
Located just 28 miles north of Austin in
Georgetown, Southwestern University was
the first institution of higher learning in
Texas, chartered by the Republic of Texas in
1840. Affiliated with the United Methodist
church, Southwestern is an independent
four-year undergraduate national liberal arts
college whose mission is to “foster a liberal
arts community whose values and actions
encourage contributions toward the well-being
of humanity.”
Southwestern was also the second university in Texas to sign the Talloires Declaration,
a green and sustainable practice initiative
that includes a green residence hall, comput-er-based effluent water irrigation systems,
alternative transportation programs, use
of sustainable/recycled products, low/no
maintenance building finishes and products,
low-volume shower heads, and LEED certification on new construction projects.
The school is known for its solid liberal arts
curriculum, including the Brown College of
Arts and Sciences and the Sarofim School of
Fine Arts. The university also has pre-pro-fessional programs in engineering, medicine,
law, business, education and theology.
Degrees offered include a bachelor of arts,
bachelor of science, bachelor of music, and
bachelor of fine arts; no graduate degrees or
programs are offered. Enrollment for under-graduate was 1,515 and annual tuition and
