D1 Soccer Colleges in Texas: A Complete List of Programs

Comparing Texas D1 soccer programs by conference and competitiveness

Texas D1 soccer programs fall into distinct competitive tiers that align closely with conference affiliation.

Top tier: Power conference programs.
Texas A&M (SEC), SMU (ACC), Baylor, TCU, Houston, and Texas Tech (all Big 12) compete in the nation's strongest conferences. These programs recruit regionally and nationally, attract athletes from elite ECNL and MLS NEXT club programs, and compete for conference championships and NCAA tournament berths. Texas A&M women's soccer, in particular, has built a consistently strong program in the SEC. SMU's move to the ACC elevates its men's program to the highest national visibility. Scholarship offers at these programs go to athletes who are already competitive at the national level.

Mid tier: AAC and Conference USA programs.
Rice, North Texas, UTSA, and Sam Houston compete in the AAC and Conference USA — conferences that produce competitive soccer and occasional NCAA tournament bids. These programs recruit more regionally than the power conference schools, which means strong Texas club players who aren't on the national radar have realistic paths to roster spots. Rice is a special case: an academically elite private school (often compared to Ivy League academics) that offers need-based financial aid rather than traditional athletic scholarships. For academically strong athletes, Rice combines D1 competition with a top-tier education.

Lower tier: Sun Belt, WAC, and Southland programs.
Texas State, Lamar, Stephen F. Austin, Abilene Christian, UTRGV, and Incarnate Word compete in conferences that are developing their soccer programs. These schools recruit primarily within Texas and the surrounding region. The competitive level is below the power and mid-tier conferences, but for athletes at the lower end of D1 measurables, these programs offer legitimate D1 competition with the most accessible recruiting pathways in the state. The scholarship math at these programs can also be favorable — smaller rosters and less competition for equivalency dollars can mean higher per-athlete awards.

Scholarship availability at Texas D1 soccer schools

D1 soccer is an equivalency sport — women's programs receive 14 equivalency scholarships and men's programs receive 9.9, split into partial awards across the roster. The financial math in Texas has a structural advantage that many families overlook.

The Texas public university tuition advantage. In-state tuition at Texas public universities is significantly lower than at out-of-state schools or private universities. Total cost of attendance at a Texas public school runs approximately $22,000–$30,000 per year for in-state students. A 25% athletic scholarship on top of that — roughly $5,500–$7,500 — brings annual out-of-pocket costs to $16,500–$22,500. Compare that to a 40% scholarship at a private school with $65,000 annual cost: the family still pays $39,000 per year. The percentage is higher, but the net cost is dramatically worse.

Private school financial aid can change the equation. TCU, Baylor, SMU, Rice, Abilene Christian, and Incarnate Word are private schools with higher sticker prices — but private schools often provide stronger need-based and merit-based financial aid packages. A family that qualifies for institutional aid at TCU or Baylor may find that the total package (athletic scholarship + need-based grant + merit aid) brings the net cost below what a Texas public school charges with athletic aid alone. Always run the net price calculator before ruling out private schools on cost. For the complete scholarship math, see our soccer athletic scholarships guide.

Stacking aid at Texas public schools. Texas public universities allow athletic scholarships to be combined with academic merit aid in many cases. An athlete with a strong GPA and test scores who also receives athletic aid can significantly reduce the total cost. Ask each program specifically about stacking policies — they vary by school.

Academic profiles and admission considerations

Texas D1 soccer schools span a wide academic range, and understanding where your athlete fits academically is as important as understanding where they fit athletically.

Highly selective (acceptance rate below 15%): Rice. Academics are the primary filter. A coach's support helps in admissions but doesn't override a weak academic profile. Athletes need a 3.8+ unweighted GPA and strong test scores to be viable.

Selective (acceptance rate 20–50%): SMU, TCU, Baylor, Texas A&M. Strong academic programs where a coach's support carries meaningful weight. Athletes with solid profiles (3.3+ GPA) are in a good position when the coach advocates.

Accessible (acceptance rate above 50%): Houston, Texas Tech, North Texas, UTSA, Texas State, Sam Houston, Lamar, SFA, Abilene Christian, UTRGV, Incarnate Word. Admissions are less of a barrier, which means the recruiting conversation focuses on athletic fit and scholarship availability. This doesn't mean academics don't matter — NCAA eligibility requirements still apply, and a strong GPA unlocks merit aid stacking opportunities.

What this means for target list building: if your athlete has a 2.8 GPA, spending outreach energy on Rice and SMU is inefficient. Those emails are better sent to programs where the academic fit is genuine and the coach can focus on the athletic evaluation without an admissions concern.

How to start recruiting outreach to Texas programs

Texas families have a geographic advantage — use it strategically.

Build a tiered target list using the conference breakdown above. Include 3–5 reach programs (power conference), 6–8 fit programs (mid-tier AAC/CUSA), and 3–5 accessible programs (Sun Belt, WAC, Southland) where your athlete's profile clearly matches. Our target list guide walks through the full framework.

Leverage the Texas club landscape. Texas coaches know the local club ecosystem — Solar, Texans, Dallas Texans, Lonestar SC, Houston Dynamo Youth, SA Surf, and other recognized Texas clubs carry immediate credibility. When emailing coaches at Texas programs, reference your athlete's club team by name. A coach who recognizes the club can immediately calibrate the competitive level.

Attend college camps at target programs. Texas D1 programs run camps throughout the summer. A camp at a school your athlete is genuinely interested in gives the coaching staff a direct evaluation opportunity — and it signals serious interest in the program. Attending a Baylor camp if Baylor is on your target list is a smart investment. Attending a Baylor camp when your athlete has no realistic interest in Waco is not.

Take advantage of proximity for unofficial visits. The DFW metroplex alone has TCU, SMU, and North Texas within a 30-minute drive of each other. Houston has Houston and Rice within the same city. A Saturday morning driving tour of two campuses costs nothing and gives your athlete real context for whether the school feels right. These visits matter — athletes who've visited campus have a meaningful advantage in the recruiting conversation.

Email coaches with Texas-specific context. Reference the ECNL or club circuit your athlete competes in, specific Texas tournaments where coaches may have seen them play, and why their program specifically interests your athlete (not just "I want to play D1 soccer in Texas"). Personalization signals genuine interest. For exactly how to structure that outreach, see our guide on how to email a soccer college coach.

The bottom line

Texas offers a dense, varied D1 soccer landscape — from SEC and Big 12 programs competing at the national level to WAC and Southland programs building strong regional identities. For Texas families, the proximity advantage is real: lower visit costs, familiar club coaches, in-state tuition at public schools, and a recruiting conversation that coaches at Texas programs understand immediately because they know the local club landscape.

Build your list using the conference tiers above, run the net-cost math at every school (the Texas public tuition advantage changes the scholarship equation significantly), and start outreach early. For the broader D1 soccer landscape beyond Texas, our guide to top D1 soccer schools covers the national picture. For the California counterpart to this article, see our D1 soccer colleges in California guide. For families also considering D2 programs in the state — where the scholarship math and recruiting accessibility can be even more favorable — our D2 soccer colleges in Texas guide covers the Lone Star Conference and other Texas D2 options. And for the full scholarship math by division, the soccer athletic scholarships guide breaks down the equivalency system.