Houston

===Colleges and universities===
{{further|List of colleges and universities in Houston}}

Houston has four state universities. The [[University of Houston]] (UH) is a [[List of research universities in the United States#Universities classified as "R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity"|research university]] and the flagship institution of the [[University of Houston System]].<ref name="Tier One Research">{{cite web |url=http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2011articles/Jan2011/011811CarnegieTierOne.php |title=Carnegie Foundation Gives University of Houston its Highest Classification for Research Success, Elevating UH to Tier One Status |author=Bonnin, Richard |publisher=University of Houston |access-date=February 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920083350/http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2011articles/Jan2011/011811CarnegieTierOne.php |archive-date=September 20, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Tier One Research 2">{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/print-edition/2011/01/21/uh-achieves-tier-one-status-in-research.html |title=UH achieves Tier One status in research |work=Houston Business Journal |access-date=July 6, 2011 |date=January 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102234709/http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/print-edition/2011/01/21/uh-achieves-tier-one-status-in-research.html |archive-date=November 2, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Tier One Research 3">{{cite web |url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7386162.html |title=UH takes big step up to Tier One status |work=Houston Chronicle |date=January 18, 2011 |access-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021171030/http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/UH-takes-big-step-up-to-Tier-One-status-1685940.php |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> The {{nowrap|third-largest}} university in Texas, the University of Houston has nearly 44,000 students on its {{Convert|667|acre|hectare|adj=on}} campus in the [[Third Ward, Houston|Third Ward]].<ref name="State of the University: Fall 2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.uh.edu/president/communications/university-community/fall-address-highlights/Fall_Address_Slides_10-3-2011.pdf |title=State of the University: Fall 2011 |publisher=University of Houston |date=October 4, 2011 |access-date=October 5, 2011 |author=Khator, Renu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027101812/http://uh.edu/president/communications/university-community/fall-address-highlights/Fall_Address_Slides_10-3-2011.pdf |archive-date=October 27, 2011}}</ref> The [[University of Houston–Clear Lake]] and the [[University of Houston–Downtown]] are {{nowrap|stand-alone}} universities within the University of Houston System; they are not branch campuses of the University of Houston. Slightly west of the University of Houston is [[Texas Southern University]] (TSU), one of the largest [[Historically black colleges and universities|historically black universities]] in the United States with approximately 10,000 students. Texas Southern University is the first state university in Houston, founded in 1927.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chron.com/local/history/major-stories-events/article/Houston-s-public-higher-education-history-a-9175498.php |title=Histories of TSU and UH marked by segregation |website=Chron.com |date=August 21, 2016 |access-date=February 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021184202/http://www.chron.com/local/history/major-stories-events/article/Houston-s-public-higher-education-history-a-9175498.php |archive-date=October 21, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Several private institutions of higher learning are within the city. [[Rice University]], the most selective university in Texas and one of the most selective in the United States,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/education/article/The-25-hardest-universities-to-get-into-in-Texas-11081467.php |title=Rice tops the list of 25 hardest colleges to get into in Texas |last=Ramirez |first=Fernando |date=April 19, 2017 |work=Houston Chronicle |access-date=March 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327084245/https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/education/article/The-25-hardest-universities-to-get-into-in-Texas-11081467.php |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> is a private, secular institution with a high level of research activity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rice University, Best Colleges 2009 |work=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=March 27, 2009 |url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/3604 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216191034/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/3604 |archive-date=February 16, 2009}}</ref> Founded in 1912, Rice's historic, heavily wooded {{Convert|300|acre|hectare|adj=on}} [[Campus of Rice University|campus]], adjacent to [[Hermann Park]] and the [[Texas Medical Center]], hosts approximately 4,000 undergraduate and 3,000 post-graduate students. To the north in [[Neartown Houston|Neartown]], the [[University of St. Thomas (Texas)|University of St. Thomas]], founded in 1947, is Houston's only Catholic university. St. Thomas provides a [[Liberal arts education|liberal arts]] curriculum for roughly 3,000 students at its historic 19-block campus along Montrose Boulevard. In southwest Houston, [[Houston Christian University]] (formerly Houston Baptist University), founded in 1960, offers bachelor's and graduate degrees at its [[Sharpstown, Houston|Sharpstown]] campus. The school is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and has a student population of approximately 3,000.

Three community college districts have campuses in and around Houston. The [[Houston Community College|Houston Community College System]] (HCC) serves most of Houston proper; its main campus and headquarters are in [[Midtown, Houston|Midtown]]. Suburban northern and western parts of the metropolitan area are served by various campuses of the [[Lone Star College System]], while the southeastern portion of Houston is served by [[San Jacinto College]], and a northeastern portion is served by [[Lee College]].<!--Huffman ISD--><ref>[http://www.lee.edu/about/ "About Lee College"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429094735/http://www.lee.edu/about/ |date=April 29, 2013 }} [[Lee College]]. Retrieved on May 6, 2013.</ref> The Houston Community College and Lone Star College systems are among the [[List of United States colleges and universities by enrollment#US Department of Education Ranking|10 largest institutions of higher learning]] in the United States.

Houston also hosts a number of graduate schools in law and healthcare. The [[University of Houston Law Center]] and [[Thurgood Marshall School of Law]] at Texas Southern University are public, [[American Bar Association|ABA-accredited]] law schools, while the [[South Texas College of Law]], in Downtown, serves as a private, independent alternative. The [[Texas Medical Center]] is home to a high density of health professions schools, including two [[medical school]]s: [[McGovern Medical School]], part of [[The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston]], and [[Baylor College of Medicine]], a highly selective private institution. [[Prairie View A&M University]]'s nursing school is in the Texas Medical Center. Additionally, both Texas Southern University and the University of Houston have [[pharmacy school]]s, and the University of Houston hosts [[University of Houston College of Medicine|a medical school]] and a college of [[optometry]].
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File:New library 35.jpg|[[Texas Southern University]], in the [[Third Ward, Houston|Third Ward]], is the first public institution of higher education in Houston and the most comprehensive [[HBCU]] in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hbculifestyle.com/largest-hbcu-by-enrollment/#:~:text=Nestled%20on%20a%20sprawling%20150,diverse%20institutions%20in%20the%20state. |title=Largest HBCU In The Nation: Top 10 Black Colleges By Enrollment |website=hbculifestyle.com |date=August 25, 2018 |access-date=August 17, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://abc13.com/barbara-jordan-mickey-leland-michael-strahan-yolanda-adams/6001128/ |title=4 Texas Southern University graduates turned black history trailblazers |work=ABC13.com |date=March 12, 2020 |access-date=August 17, 2021 }}</ref>
File:University of Houston-Downtown Commerce Building.jpg|The [[University of Houston–Downtown]], in [[downtown Houston|Downtown]], is the second-largest institution of higher education in Houston.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uhd.edu/finishuhdstrong/Pages/default.aspx |title=Finish UHD Strong |publisher=University of Houston Downtown |access-date=August 17, 2021 }}</ref>
File:Roy Gustav Cullen Building.JPG|The [[University of Houston]], in the Third Ward, is a public research university and the third-largest institution of higher education in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |title=University of Houston |url=https://uhsystem.edu/uh-system/uh/ |access-date=August 17, 2021 |publisher=University of Houston System}}</ref>
File:Lovett Hall.jpg|[[Rice University]], near the [[Houston Museum District|Museum District]] and [[Texas Medical Center]], is the most selective private institution in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://oir.rice.edu/rankings |title=What They're Saying About Rice |publisher=Rice University |access-date=August 17, 2021 }}</ref>
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