Fort Worth is home to six colleges, with about 54,000 students on campus
Tarrant County College District (35,078 students on campus) and Texas Christian University (12,462) are inside the city. About 6% of Fort Worth’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Fort Worth. Colleges are described, not graded.
Within 15 miles
9
85,719 students on campus
Nearest college
1.8 mi
Tarrant County College District
Residents in college
6%
About the same as TX (6%)
Nearest community college
1.8 mi
Tarrant County College District · $1,863 tuition
Nearest public university
2.5 mi
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Median household income
$80K
prices below start here
What stands out about college in Fort Worth
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What it costs
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Family income
Starts at $75–110k, where Fort Worth’s median household income ($79,507) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Outcomes
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Fort Worth: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Tarrant County College District34% graduate$43k earnings$9k typical debt
The University of Texas at Arlington54% graduate$63k earnings$18k typical debt
Texas Christian University86% graduate$68k earnings*$22k typical debt
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: The College of Health Care Professions-Fort Worth (7); Texas Christian University (2); Remington College-Fort Worth Campus (12).
Majors
What students study in Fort Worth
Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Fort Worth’s 5 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.
Liberal arts 42%Business 14%Health professions 11%Computer science 7%Public safety 3%Communication 3%Everything else 21%
Biggest programs
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesTarrant County College District · 4,102 graduates a year
$48k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingTarrant County College District · 344 graduates a year
$86k4 yrs out
Finance and Financial Management ServicesTexas Christian University · 216 graduates a year
$111k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and OperationsTarrant County College District · 194 graduates a year
$50k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingTexas Christian University · 169 graduates a year
$90k4 yrs out
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationTexas Christian University · 150 graduates a year
$71k4 yrs out
MarketingTexas Christian University · 143 graduates a year
$97k4 yrs out
Accounting and Related ServicesTexas Christian University · 126 graduates a year
$102k4 yrs out
College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating. Left out: The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where most students study only online.
Questions about college in Fort Worth
Is Fort Worth a college town?
No. About 6 of every 100 Fort Worth residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Texas (6). The largest campus in the city, Tarrant County College District, has 35,078 students on campus.
What colleges are in Fort Worth?
Tarrant County College District, Texas Christian University, Texas Wesleyan University, the University of North Texas Health Science Center and 2 more are inside the city.
What is the closest community college to Fort Worth, and what does it cost?
Tarrant County College District in Fort Worth, 1.8 miles away. Tuition and fees are $1,863 a year for Texas residents; the federal net price, $4,337, counts housing and food at full cost.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Fort Worth. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →
Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0