Best Affordable Online Colleges in Texas of 2026

Why We Chose It: Parker’s online academic portfolio is highly focused on health sciences, nutrition, and wellness subjects.

Parker University is largely dedicated to health-related education. All but one of its 16 online undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs fall within this field. Additionally, its faculty includes clinical doctors, radiologists, and other specialists with expertise in areas such as medical research, neuroscience, osteology, myology, and nutrition.

The school offers undergraduate degrees in anatomy, health information management, integrative health, nutrition, sports psychology, and strength and human performance. Its graduate programs include public health, clinical neuroscience, and clinical research.

Parker University also offers an accelerated bachelor's to chiropractic track. Through this program, students can earn a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctor of chiropractic degree in around five years. Plus, the master’s degree is free if it’s completed within two years.

Overall, Parker’s programs offer a straightforward route for students who want a career in health and wellness.

What We Like About Parker

• At Parker University, active military students pay only $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's programs.
• Parker University is the only school on this list to offer Yellow Ribbon funding, which helps cover tuition costs for U.S. military members, veterans, and their families.
• Online students can attend Parker Seminars. These events are hosted around the country and sponsored by medical companies and organizations where industry leaders and medical companies showcase new tools and technologies.

What We Don't Like

• Parker University isn’t ideal for students who aren’t interested in health-related fields, as the master of business administration degree is the only online program that falls outside this area.
• Tuition per credit hour is more expensive, with undergraduate and graduate programs costing $754 and $846 per credit hour, respectively.

Why We Chose It: SHSU offers more online degrees and certificates than any other school on this list.

Sam Houston State University has the broadest offering of online degrees and certificate programs on this list — over 70 online degrees and 30 certificate programs. That’s nearly 30 more than UTRGV, the runner-up for most online programs.

SHSU’s online programs are distributed across its colleges of Arts and Media, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Education, Health Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, Osteopathic Medicine, Science and Engineering Technology, and the Polytechnic College.

Browsing through SHSU’s catalog is also straightforward. The school offers a centralized page listing all online programs in alphabetical order by topic. Simply click on a topic you’re interested in, and you’ll see whether the school offers a certificate, bachelor’s, or master’s program in that subject.

What We Like About SHSU

• Before enrolling, you can speak to a student success specialist who can advise you on which program to enroll in and its application process.
• SHSU Bearkat Assistance Program may offer financial aid in case of unemployment, accidents, and other unforeseeable situations.
• The school offers a one-time transfer scholarship of $2,000 to eligible students.

What We Don't Like

• SHSU charges online students a $101 fee per semester credit hour ($50 for RN-to-BSN students).
• SHSU doesn’t offer flat-rate online tuition like WTAMU and UTRGV, making it harder to predict your total cost. What you pay per credit hour depends on your residency status and how many credits you take per semester. For example, in-state students pay $637 for the first credit hour, and the cost increases by around $362 for each additional credit.

Why We Chose It: UTRGV stands out for offering dozens of accelerated, seven-week master’s programs.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley offers more than 30 accelerated master's programs that feature seven-week courses, allowing students to graduate in 10-12 months instead of the minimum two years most master’s programs take.

Compared with traditional 15- and 16-week semesters, this format compresses your classes into short, intensive blocks. That cadence can suit working adults who want to earn a degree as fast as possible. However, the workload per week is usually heavier, so you may need to cut back on work hours or take a temporary pause from your job while enrolled.

UTRGV’s accelerated master’s programs span areas such as business, education, health sciences, and liberal arts. The programs don’t use a flat tuition pricing model, but most cost around $450 per credit.

What We Like About UTRGV

• Undergraduate Texas residents from families earning $125,000 or less can qualify for free tuition and fees if they’re pursuing their first degree.
• The university offers five scholarships for transfer students and two for graduate students.
• UTRGV has a fully online degree completion program — Finish@UT — for students who finished their core curriculum or earned a minimum of 60 credits but never graduated.

What We Don't Like

• Some programs on the school’s website link to broken pages, making it unclear whether those programs still exist.

Why We Chose It: UH delivers the widest selection of online business degrees on this list.

The University of Houston is a strong choice for students who want to major in business, offering six bachelor's programs and nine master's programs fully online in fields like finance, accounting, and management information systems. 

UH also has two additional business master's programs listed as "coming soon," bringing the total to 17 business degree offerings. The only other institution with a comparable number is the University of Texas, which offers 15 business programs.

These business programs are offered through the UH Extend initiative, meaning they are fully remote and have flat-rate tuition of about $409 and $866 per credit for bachelor’s and master’s programs, respectively.

What We Like About UH

• UH's website lets you filter programs by interest, degree type, mode of delivery, and college, making it the easiest experience for finding exactly the program you're looking for compared to other schools on this list.
• UH offers online career training programs to help students prepare for industry certification exams. It also provides skills programs that allow students to upskill while learning with a cohort of peers. 
• Students can graduate sooner by taking condensed courses through the UH Sessions initiative.

What We Don't Like

• Students enrolled in UH Extend programs are not eligible for university-funded merit scholarships.

Why We Chose It: WTAMU’s Education on Demand platform gives students access to self-paced courses that can be started at any time of year and completed at their own pace.

West Texas A&M is our top choice for working professionals looking for maximum flexibility. The school’s Education on Demand platform allows students to enroll in self-paced courses that can be completed in 1-6 months and started at any point during the year.

You can choose classes from 13 subjects, including communication, English, math, social work, and political science. All courses carry the same college credit as traditional classes and are taught by the same instructors who teach on campus, so they can be applied toward your degree.

Additionally, WTAMU offers six-week accelerated courses, making the school an excellent option for students who want to complete their required credit hours as quickly as possible.

What We Like About WTAMU

• WTAMU offers 13 undergraduate, 26 master's, and one doctoral fully online degree programs.
• Self-paced and accelerated courses have a flat-rate fee of $699 per three-hour class and $935 per four-hour class.
• Students from states outside of Texas who enroll at WTAMU pay the same tuition rate as Texas residents (plus a $30 per credit hour fee).

What We Don't Like

• Not all courses are offered through the Education on Demand program, which means you’ll need to take traditional semester-based classes to complete the rest of your degree requirements.
• WTAMU charges online students a $57.50 fee per semester credit.