Varun Srinivasan July 31, 2023 7 11th Grade,12th Grade,College Lists

D2 Schools in Texas: Which is Best for You?

What’s Covered:

• What is the NCAA Division 2?
• List of D2 Schools in Texas
• What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

There 310 total Division 2 schools throughout the continental U.S. and 13 of those are located in Texas. In this post, you’ll find out more about Division 2 schools in Texas, including their enrollment, acceptance rates, and size, as well as what each school is known for.

What is the NCAA Division 2?

The NCAA Division 2 refers to schools in the “intermediate” level of athletic competition according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association. These schools often receive ample funding for collegiate sports, but tend to be smaller than their Division 1 counterparts. Similar to Division 1, student-athletes are eligible to receive athletic scholarships.

Most Division 2 schools have less than 2,500 students, and many are private. Division 2 schools are required to host at least 5 men’s sports and 5 women’s sports. 

List of D2 Schools in Texas

1. Angelo State University

Location: San Angelo

Acceptance Rate: 70%

Undergrad Enrollment: 9,100

Angelo State University was founded in 1928 under the name “San Angelo College.” Today, it is part of the Texas Tech University System, and has the second largest campus of any university affiliated with Texas Tech. It has a large endowment that goes towards financial aid and academics. In fact, it is ranked 85th in the nation for universities with large endowments. The University has six colleges, and the most popular majors are nursing and agriculture.

D2 sports offered:

• Men: Baseball, basketball, football
• Women: Basketball, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball

2. Dallas Baptist University

Location: Dallas

Acceptance Rate: 94%

Undergrad Enrollment: 3,000

Dallas Baptist University is affiliated with the Baptist Church and has campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Hurst. The main campus spans around 370 acres and some of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The university offers 86 undergraduate majors and 33 masters programs, as well as dual enrollment and accelerated bachelor’s degrees. The average class size is 13 students. Ninety percent of students receive financial aid.

D2 sports offered:

• Men: Baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field
• Women: Cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, volleyball, cheer & stunt

3. Lubbock Christian University

Location: Lubbock

Acceptance Rate: 95%

Undergrad Enrollment: 1,300

Lubbock Christian University is affiliated with the Churches of Christ and is rated the 68th top regional college, according to U.S. News & World Reports. Lubbock Christian is different from many other universities as it cannot host fraternities and sororities, but it does have “social clubs” for both men and women. The university also has an active ROTC program and has many other professional organizations on campus.

D2 sports offered:

• Men: Baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, track and field
• Women: Basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball, track and field

4. Midwestern State University

Location: Wichita Falls

Acceptance Rate: 95%

Undergrad Enrollment: 5,000

Midwestern State is a public university but unaffiliated with the University of Texas System. It is known for its “core curriculum,” as it was the first public university in Texas to establish one. Midwestern State is heavily involved in research—the university owns the Dalquest Desert Research Station at Big Bend Ranch State Park. Students and professors use the station for geology research. The university has an active Greek life and over 100 student organizations.

D2 sports offered:

• Men: Basketball, football, golf, soccer, tennis
• Women: Basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track, volleyball

5. St. Edward’s University

Location: Austin

Acceptance Rate: 92%

Undergrad Enrollment: 2,800

St. Edward’s is a Catholic university that was founded in 1877 by Rev. Edward Sorin, who also founded Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. The university also has a partnership with Catholic University of the West in Algers, France and provides opportunities for both American and French students to learn at this campus. St. Edward’s students have won over 27 Fulbright scholarships since 2004.

D2 sports offered:

• Men: Baseball, basketball, cross country, track and field
• Women: Basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, volleyball, track and field

6. St. Mary’s University (Texas)

Location: San Antonio

Acceptance Rate: 88%

Undergrad Enrollment: 2,000

Founded in 1852, St. Mary’s is the oldest Catholic university in Texas. Student life is very important at St. Mary’s; the university has many active Greek life organizations and over 68 other student organizations. St. Mary’s encourages students to participate in undergraduate research in both STEM and social science. It also has a law school that was founded in 1968. 

D2 sports offered:

• Men: Baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, tennis
• Women: Basketball, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball

7. Texas A&M University-Commerce

Location: Commerce

Acceptance Rate: 87%

Undergrad Enrollment: 7,500

Texas A&M Commerce offers over 100 degrees for students, and is affiliated with Navarro College and Collin College to offer even more courses. The university has 5 separate colleges, and the most well known is The College of Education and Human Services, which has helped develop many leaders in education. Texas A&M Commerce used to mostly attract students from the Dallas area, but in recent years many more out of state students have chosen to attend Commerce.

D2 sports offered:

• Men: Basketball, cross country, football, golf, track and field
• Women: Basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball

8. Texas A&M International University

Location: Laredo

Acceptance Rate: 54%

Undergrad Enrollment: 6,800

Texas A&M International is one of the top public universities in the state, offering 4 colleges and 70 programs of study. The university is deeply involved in research and has many research centers, including the Small Business Development Center, The Western Hemispheric Trade Information Center, Center for Earth and Environmental Studies, and the Texas Center for Border Economics and Enterprise Development. 

D2 sports offered:

• Men: Baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer
• Women: Basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball, stunt

9. Texas A&M University- Kingsville

Location: Kingsville

Acceptance Rate: 93%

Undergrad Enrollment: 5,000

Texas A&M University-Kingsville is a public research university that was founded in 1925. It is known for its notable program in natural gas engineering, which is the only accredited program of its kind in the U.S. It is also known for its wildlife research and special work in citrus research. It has a bilingual center and granted the first diploma in bilingual education. Sixty-nine percent of students are of Hispanic origin, and the student body comes from 40 states and 35 countries. 

D2 sports offered:

• Men: Baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, track and field
• Women: Basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, softball, tennis, track and field, volleyball

10. The University of Texas at Tyler

Location: Tyler

Acceptance Rate: 94%

Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,100

UT Tyler is known for its robust research program and selective honors college. In fact, the university is classified as having high research activity, as it has over $19 million in research expenditures each year. The university also has over 80 student organizations, including Greek life. Students come from 45 states and 58 countries.

D2 sports offered:

• Men: Baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field
• Women: Basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, stunt, tennis, track and field, volleyball

11. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Location: Odessa

Acceptance Rate: 65%

Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,200

The University of Texas Permian Basin is ranked as a top 5 Texas university for employment after graduation, and has a 70% medical school acceptance rate. The university has 50 undergraduate, masters, and online programs and generous financial aid packages are available. Psychology and Business are among the most popular majors.

D2 sports offered:

• Men: Baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, swimming, tennis, golf
• Women: Basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, volleyball

12. Texas Woman’s University

Location: Denton

Acceptance Rate: 96%

Undergraduate Enrollment: 10,200

Despite TWU’s name, it is a co-educational public university, however, athletics are limited to women. The university has centers in Dallas, Houston and Denton. The university’s main campus in Denton is well-known for its library that houses the Women’s Collection, one of the largest historical collections about women’s history in the U.S. The university has active Greek chapters.

D2 sports offered:

• Women: Basketball, gymnastics, soccer, softball, stunt, synchronized swimming, volleyball

13. West Texas A&M University

Location: Canyon

Acceptance Rate: 97%

Undergraduate Enrollment: 7,000

West Texas A&M is known for its agricultural and environmental program, and it has several research centers, such as the Beef Carcass and Feedlot Research group and the Alternative Energy Group. The university is also known for its online degree programs, which are consistently recognized in U.S. News & World Reports rankings for online programs. The university offers 60 undergraduate programs, 38 masters programs, and 2 doctoral programs.

D2 spots offered:

• Men: Baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track and field
• Women: Basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball

14. Sul Ross State University

Location: Alpine, Texas 

Acceptance Rate: 100% 

Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,600

Sul Ross State University, often referred to as SRSU, has a prominent reputation in the areas of geology, agriculture, and animal science—including strong programs in Wildlife Management and Ranch Management. Its acclaimed Rio Grande Research Center contributes significantly to environmental studies and resource management in the region. The university is also known for its excellent distance education programs which extend to both graduate and undergraduate levels, catering to a diverse and geographically spread student body. SRSU offers 33 undergraduate programs, 23 master’s programs, and 1 doctoral program.

D2 sports offered: 

• Men: Baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, track and field 
• Women: Basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

Now that you have a better idea of the D2 schools within Texas, you can tailor your application to fit what these schools are looking for. For example, many of these schools are affiliated with a religious denomination and look for students who uphold these values. In your application materials, you could emphasize how your values align with the values of the college. 

Are you curious to find out how your GPA, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities will impact your offer of admission to these colleges? Check out CollegeVine’s free chancing calculator! This tool will help you determine which schools are a good match for you and where you have the highest chance of acceptance.