| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public state technical college system governed by a Board of Regents (not a community college); campus-based, with some programs fully online |
| Campuses | 11, all in Texas (the Abilene campus has two sites) |
| Credentials | Associate of applied science degrees, certificates, advanced technical certificates and occupational skills awards |
| Programs | 38 on the college’s program index |
| Accreditation | The Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC), to award associate degrees; all campuses under one accreditation since 2015 |
| Federal aid | Yes |
| Fall 2026 tuition | $194 to $307 per credit hour for Texas residents, $348 to $461 for non-residents, depending on the program’s tuition tier (table rev. 13 Jul 2026); fees folded into tuition |
| Founded | 1965, in Waco |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
TSTC: Texas’s state technical college, with 11 campuses
Texas State Technical College is the state’s public technical college system, governed by a Board of Regents, with its system administration in Waco. It is not a community college: it has no taxing district, so there is no in-district rate, and tuition depends only on residency and the program’s tier. TSTC began in Waco in 1965 as the James Connally Technical Institute. Its 11 campuses stretch from Harlingen and Waco to Marshall, Abilene and Sweetwater, and its program index lists 38 programs in health, aviation, construction, manufacturing, energy, transportation and computing. Texas funds the college through an outcomes-based formula, known as Returned Value, tied to graduates’ employment and earnings in Texas. TSTC advertises a job guarantee; read its terms.
Programs at TSTC, and which campuses teach them
The table covers the main programs behind this page’s program listings. TSTC’s program pages publish no cost or completion time, so the table gives each program’s tuition tier instead; lengths appear only where the college states them. Campus lists come from each program’s own page.
| Program | Credentials | Length | Delivery | Where | Prepares for / approval | Tuition tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Nursing | Certificate | 12 months | Hybrid, day | Breckenridge, Harlingen, Sweetwater | NCLEX-PN; Texas BON approved | Tier 1 |
| LVN to RN Transition Nursing | Associate degree in nursing (AAS) | 12 months | Hybrid, day | Harlingen, Sweetwater | NCLEX-RN; Texas BON approved; LVN licence required | Tier 1 |
| Dental Hygiene | AAS | – | In person and hybrid, day | Harlingen | CODA accredited | Tier 1 |
| Surgical Technology | AAS; Sterile Processing award | – | Hybrid, day | Harlingen | CAAHEP accredited | Tier 1 |
| Emergency Medical Services | EMT, Advanced EMT, Paramedic; certificate and associate options | – | In person and hybrid, day | Abilene, Brownwood, Harlingen | Paramedic CAAHEP accredited; Texas DSHS approved | Tier 1 |
| Health Information Technology | AAS; HIT, Medical Coding & Billing Specialist, Medical Office Specialist awards | – | Online; self-paced option | Online | CAHIIM accredited | Tier 4 |
| Aircraft Pilot Training | AAS, certificate (Airplane, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) | – | In person, day | Waco | FAA certified; flight fees extra | Tier 3 |
| Aircraft Airframe and Powerplant | AAS, certificates | – | – | Powerplant featured at Abilene, Harlingen, Waco; Airframe listed at Abilene | FAA certified | Tier 1 |
| Welding | AAS, certificates (four plans) | – | In person or hybrid; day and night | All 11 campuses | – | Tier 1 |
| Diesel Equipment | Heavy Truck, Off Highway, John Deere Technology | – | Hybrid; day and night; self-paced option | Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall, North Texas, Sweetwater, Waco | – | Tier 1 |
| HVAC | HVAC Technology, HVAC Technician, HVAC Residential Service Technician | – | In person and hybrid; day and night | Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, North Texas, Waco, Williamson County | – | Tier 3 |
| Precision Machining | AAS, certificate, CNC Machine Operator | AAS in four semesters | In person and hybrid; day and night | Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall, North Texas, Waco, Williamson County | – | Tier 2 |
| Building Construction | Building Construction Technology, Craftsman, Commercial Construction Management | – | In person, day | Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall, New Braunfels, Sweetwater, Waco | – | Tier 2 |
| Solar Energy | Associate degree, certificate | – | In person or hybrid, day | Waco | – | Tier 3 |
| Drafting & Design | Architectural/Civil Drafting; Architectural Design & Engineering Graphics; Engineering Graphics & Design | – | Online, in person or hybrid; day and night; self-paced option | Harlingen, Marshall, North Texas, Waco, online | – | Tier 3 |
| Culinary & Hospitality Management | Associate degree | – | In person or hybrid, day | Sweetwater, Waco | – | Tier 2 |
| Cybersecurity | AAS; Digital Forensics Specialist; advanced technical certificate | – | Online or hybrid | Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall, North Texas, Waco, Williamson County, online | NSA NCAE-CD designation | Tier 2 |
| Computer Networking & Systems Administration | AAS; IT Support Tier I and II; Cloud Computing | – | Online, in person or hybrid; self-paced option | Abilene, Marshall, North Texas, Waco, Williamson County, online | – | Tier 3 |
| Computer Programming | AAS; Software Developer; C# Developer | – | Fully online; self-paced option | Online | – | Tier 4 |
| Web Design & Development | AAS, certificate (four tracks) | – | Fully online | Online | – | Tier 4 |
Programmatic accreditation and approvals, as the 2026-27 catalog lists them: CODA for Dental Hygiene (status “approval without reporting requirements”); CAAHEP for Surgical Technology and the Paramedic program; CAHIIM for Health Information Technology; FAA certification for Aircraft Airframe, Aircraft Powerplant and Aircraft Pilot Training; Texas Board of Nursing approval for Vocational Nursing and the LVN to RN degree; Texas Department of State Health Services approval for EMS; and the NSA’s NCAE-CD designation for Cybersecurity. The catalog also lists ASE Education Foundation accreditation for Automotive Technology and Auto Collision, excluding the Tesla START certificate.
Other programs on the index include Automotive Technology (with Tesla START), Auto Collision & Management, Plumbing & Pipefitting, Electrical Lineworker & Management, Electrical Power & Controls, Wind Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, Avionics, Biomedical Equipment and the online Chemical Dependency Counseling degree. TSTC’s 38-program index lists no teaching or engineering degree; Education Training and Engineering appear only as groups in its tuition table.
What the main programs cover
Vocational Nursing
The Vocational Nursing certificate takes 12 months; TSTC’s page says students “finish in one year”. It runs as a daytime hybrid program at Breckenridge, Harlingen and Sweetwater. Entry is selective: applicants attend an information session, take the ATI TEAS 7 and an ATI anatomy and physiology exam, and submit an application packet. Clinical practice takes place in clinics and hospitals. The Texas Board of Nursing approves the program, and completers sit the NCLEX-PN to become licensed vocational nurses. Allied Health students must buy their own medical-liability and needlestick insurance.
LVN to RN Transition Nursing
This is TSTC’s only route to RN licensure, and it is open only to applicants who already hold an LVN licence. The associate degree in nursing runs 12 months as a daytime hybrid program at Harlingen and Sweetwater, with Texas Board of Nursing approval. Applications for the cohort that starts in spring 2027 are open from 24 August to 13 November 2026. Graduates sit the NCLEX-RN. Students who are not yet LVNs can start with the Vocational Nursing certificate at Breckenridge, Harlingen or Sweetwater.
Welding
Welding is taught at all 11 campuses, and TSTC says its welding degree plans will be offered at new locations from Fall 2026. There are four plans: Welding Technology, Structural Welding, Welding Advanced Pipe Specialization and Welding Technology – Advanced Processes, leading to an AAS or certificates. Classes are in person or hybrid, with day and night sections. The program page names SMAW, GTAW and TIG processes. Welding is in Tier 1 of TSTC’s four tuition tiers.
Diesel Equipment
Diesel Equipment Technology has three specializations: Heavy Truck, Off Highway (Equipment) and John Deere Technology. It is taught at seven campuses, Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall, North Texas, Sweetwater and Waco, in a hybrid format with day and night classes. Students can also take it through performance-based education, TSTC’s self-paced, competency-based format, which has its own 2026-27 tuition table at the same per-credit-hour amounts. Diesel trains technicians for trucks and heavy equipment; it is not a driving program.
Aircraft Pilot Training
Pilot training is taught only at Waco and uses the TSTC Waco Airport, which the college calls the largest airport owned by an educational institution in America. Students choose an Airplane Specialization or an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle plan, toward an AAS or a certificate, with in-person daytime classes. The 2026-27 catalog lists the program as FAA certified, as are the Aircraft Airframe and Aircraft Powerplant maintenance programs. Flight fees are charged on top of tuition and are published in a separate TSTC estimate.
Online computer programs
Computer Programming Technology and Web Design & Development are taught entirely online. Programming offers Software Developer and C# Developer plans; Web Design offers Front End Designer, Web Developer, PHP Developer and Full Stack Developer tracks, both toward an AAS or certificate. Cybersecurity, with an AAS, a Digital Forensics Specialist plan and an advanced technical certificate, runs online or hybrid and holds the NSA’s NCAE-CD designation. Computer Programming, Web Design and Health Information Technology are in Tier 4 of TSTC’s four tuition tiers.
Tuition by program tier, and how students pay
TSTC charges by the semester credit hour, and the rate depends on residency and on the program’s tier (1 to 4). Under the Fall 2026 tuition schedule, revised 13 July 2026, Texas residents pay $194 to $307 per credit hour and non-residents $348 to $461, depending on the program’s tuition tier. Each rate combines statutory and designated tuition, and TSTC folds what other colleges charge as fees into that rate, so there is no separate fee schedule. The college warns that charges may change if its Board approves updates during the year.
Tier 1 includes welding, diesel, aviation maintenance, vocational nursing, the LVN to RN degree, dental hygiene, surgical technology and EMS. Tier 2 includes building construction, culinary, cybersecurity and precision machining; Tier 3 includes HVAC, drafting, networking, solar and pilot training; Tier 4 includes computer programming, web design and health information technology. Pilot training adds flight fees, and Allied Health students must buy liability and needlestick insurance.
TSTC takes federal student aid, and Niche, using federal data, puts the average net price at $10,421 a year. Payment for Fall 2026 was due by noon on 1 September 2026; Spring 2027 payment is due 1 January 2027 and Summer 2027 payment 1 May 2027. To pay the resident rate, students must show 12 months’ Texas domicile (or qualify as a Texas high-school graduate with 36 months’ residence, or as the dependent of a parent with 12 months’ residence) and document lawful presence.
Open admission, with selective health programs
TSTC admits applicants openly, but several health programs have their own entry steps. Vocational Nursing needs an information session, the ATI TEAS 7, an ATI anatomy and physiology exam and an application packet; the LVN to RN program needs a current LVN licence and has a fixed application window; Dental Hygiene has an application packet.
The 2026-27 terms start on 8 September 2026, 11 January 2027 and 10 May 2027. Schedules depend on the program: health and aviation classes are by day; welding, HVAC, precision machining, diesel and drafting offer day and night classes; computer programming, web design and health information technology are fully online. Performance-based education lets students work at their own pace in diesel, drafting, networking, computer programming and health information technology.
Accreditation and results
TSTC is accredited by The Commission on Colleges and Universities, the name the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) has used since 1 September 2026, to award associate degrees. It may also award certificates at approved levels. Since 2015 all TSTC campuses have been covered by a single accreditation, which includes the main campus, other sites and distance education.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| LVN to RN, Harlingen: first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | 94.44% (34 of 36) | Calendar 2024, Texas Board of Nursing |
| LVN to RN, Sweetwater: first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | 96.15% (25 of 26) | Calendar 2024, Texas Board of Nursing |
| Graduation rate | 50% | Niche, from federal data (checked October 2026) |
| Employed one year after graduating | 94% | Niche, from federal data (checked October 2026) |
| Median earnings five years after graduating | $46,908 | Niche, from federal data (checked October 2026) |
TSTC’s Vocational Nursing page shows no NCLEX-PN pass rate, and we did not find the Texas Board of Nursing’s figure for the program. The Surgical Technology and Paramedic programs link to their own outcome pages, which we did not use here.
Before you enroll
- The only RN program is the LVN to RN transition. Students without an LVN licence must first become LVNs, for example through TSTC’s Vocational Nursing certificate, and then apply separately.
- Program pages leave their cost and completion-time fields blank. To estimate tuition, multiply the program’s credit hours by the per-credit-hour rate for its tier; pilot training adds separate flight fees.
- Campus pages show only “featured” programs, and many programs run at a few campuses: Dental Hygiene and Surgical Technology only at Harlingen, and pilot training and Solar Energy only at Waco. Check the campus list on each program’s page.
- Salary figures on TSTC program pages are O*NET occupational medians, not the earnings of TSTC graduates.
- TSTC advertises a job guarantee; read its terms before counting on it.
The 11 campuses
| Campus | Address | Programs and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Abilene (two sites) | 2082 Quantum Loop, Abilene, TX 79602; Downtown: 650 E. Highway 80, Abilene, TX 79601 | EMS (with Brownwood and Harlingen); commuter campus |
| Breckenridge | 415 N. Breckenridge, Breckenridge, TX 76424 | Vocational Nursing (with Harlingen and Sweetwater) |
| Brownwood | 301 Main Street, Brownwood, TX 76801 | EMS (with Abilene and Harlingen) |
| Williamson County (Austin area) | 1600 Innovation Blvd (CR 108), Hutto, TX 78634 | Shared higher education center with Temple College and Texas A&M University–Central Texas |
| Fort Bend County (Houston area) | 26706 Southwest Freeway, Rosenberg, TX 77471 | Cybersecurity, construction, machining, HVAC, diesel |
| Harlingen | 1902 N. Loop 499, Harlingen, TX 78550 | Dental Hygiene and Surgical Technology (only here); LVN to RN (with Sweetwater) |
| Marshall | 2650 East End Blvd., South, Marshall, TX 75672 | Drafting, networking, cybersecurity, machining, diesel, construction |
| New Braunfels | 2189 FM 758, New Braunfels, TX 78130 | Building Construction and Welding |
| North Texas (Dallas area) | 119 North Lowrance, Red Oak, TX 75154 | Drafting, networking, cybersecurity, machining, HVAC, diesel |
| Sweetwater | 300 Homer K. Taylor Drive, Sweetwater, TX 79556 | LVN to RN (with Harlingen); Culinary (with Waco); student housing |
| Waco | 3801 Campus Drive, Waco, TX 76705 | Aircraft Pilot Training and Solar Energy (only here); Avionics; Culinary (with Sweetwater); student housing |
A new campus in Seguin has been announced, but it is not open. The Harlingen Welcome Center at 2424 Boxwood is an admissions building, not a campus, and the TSTC Waco Airport and the Abilene hangar belong to their campuses.
Housing and dining
Waco has several student housing options, and Sweetwater offers shared apartments or private rooms with laundry; the Harlingen campus page links to student housing. Sweetwater, Harlingen and Waco have cafeterias with meal plans. Abilene is a commuter campus.
What students say
On Niche, Texas State Technical College is rated 4.03 out of 5 from 1,225 reviews, with an overall grade of A- (checked 11 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise hands-on, practical training with experienced instructors, and career fairs and personal help from staff and enrollment coaches. The most common complaints are uneven student services and communication, especially advising and financial aid, outdated online courses, and limited social life and gym hours. These reviews sit on Niche’s main TSTC page, which is filed under Waco; some branch campuses have their own Niche pages, which we did not check, and we could not tell whether reviews were invited by the school.
Sources
Checked October 2026: TSTC campuses · Program index · 2026-27 catalog · Fall 2026 tuition table · Accreditation · Texas Board of Nursing, 2024 NCLEX-RN pass rates · Niche
Programs & Courses
Health
- Vocational Nursing
- LVN to RN Transition Nursing (ADN, for LVNs)
- Dental Hygiene
- Surgical Technology (with Sterile Processing award)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMT, Advanced EMT, Paramedic)
- Health Information Technology (online; includes Medical Coding & Billing Specialist)
- Biomedical Equipment
- Chemical Dependency Counseling (online)
Aviation
- Aircraft Pilot Training (Airplane, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)
- Aircraft Airframe
- Aircraft Powerplant
- Avionics
Automotive, Collision and Diesel
- Automotive Technology (including Tesla START)
- Auto Collision & Management
- Diesel Equipment (Heavy Truck, Off Highway, John Deere Technology)
Construction and Building Trades
- Building Construction
- HVAC
- Plumbing & Pipefitting
- Electrical Construction
- Drafting & Design
Welding, Manufacturing and Industrial
- Welding
- Precision Machining (including CNC Machine Operator)
- Advanced Manufacturing (Industrial Maintenance, Automation & Robotics, Semiconductor)
- Instrumentation
- Process Operations
- Occupational Safety & Environmental Compliance
Electrical and Energy
- Electrical Lineworker & Management
- Electrical Power & Controls
- Solar Energy
- Wind Energy
Computers and IT
- Cybersecurity (including Digital Forensics Specialist)
- Computer Networking & Systems Administration (including IT Support and Cloud Computing)
- Computer Programming (online)
- Web Design & Development (online)
Business and Hospitality
- Culinary & Hospitality Management
- Business Management
Campus Locations
Abilene, TX 2082 Quantum Loop, Abilene, TX 79602
Breckenridge, TX 415 N. Breckenridge, Breckenridge, TX 76424
Brownwood, TX 301 Main Street, Brownwood, TX 76801
Austin (Hutto), TX 1600 Innovation Blvd (CR 108), Hutto, TX 78634
Houston (Rosenberg), TX 26706 Southwest Freeway, Rosenberg, TX 77471
Harlingen, TX 1902 N. Loop 499, Harlingen, TX 78550
Marshall, TX 2650 East End Blvd., South, Marshall, TX 75672
New Braunfels, TX 2189 FM 758, New Braunfels, TX 78130
Dallas (Red Oak), TX 119 North Lowrance, Red Oak, TX 75154
Sweetwater, TX 300 Homer K. Taylor Drive, Sweetwater, TX 79556
Waco, TX 3801 Campus Drive, Waco, TX 76705