My DS20 is planning to major in Biology. His class rank isn’t high enough to get into UT or TAMU. He has good test scores though (ACT 33) and is pursuing an IB diploma. Our finances require a public Texas school.
Texas State and Sam Houston both appealed to him during campus visits, plus they are both relatively close to home. Does anyone have an opinion about which of these schools is preferable for a Biology major? He is also potentially interested in Ecology or Environmental Science. Suggestions of other state schools in Texas for these majors are welcome.
Thank you!
Take a look at the University of Houston. The university is a steady riser in national rankings (including the sciences) and is a great value. Having access to the city of Houston for research, internships, and hospitals is something Texas State and Sam Houston State can never hope to have.
The leadership at UH has been committed in recent years to shed the “commuter school” or “Cougar High” reputation that made the school seem undesirable to most students outside of the greater Houston area.
There are new dorms, a new on-campus football stadium, basketball and baseball venues, museums, recreations centers, etc. to give students a more traditional college atmosphere.
I second UHouston. What about UTD ?
First, I’d ask “Why biology?” If he’s interested in the subject he can minor in it, but right now it’s got the worse ROI of all majors (he’d be better off majoring in art history 
) because most premede can’t get into any medical school and flood the job market not to mention there are very few biology jobs that only require a bachelor’s degree.
Second, is your budget tied to public universities because you’re full pay and bed merit or because you’ve got a low EFC and have sticker price shock? (Is your EFC unaffordable?)
Have you run the NPCs on Southwestern, Trinity, Austin college, St Edward’s, and a bit further away Hendrix and Rhodes?
Thank you @RealityCheck13 and @MYOS1634 ! I appreciate your insights.
Who knew biology was such a dud! He likes biology and finds it interesting, but he is also interested in other fields of study, such as ecology, environmental science, geography and French. The major is definitely not set in stone. Graduate school is a possibility.
We prefer public university because I guess you’d say we find our EFC unaffordable. We’re trying to do college without debt. One reason we’re interested in Texas State is that they have assured scholarships and he may qualify for the top level if he earns the IB diploma. He has visited UH and liked it, so it is an option as well.
FYI, my son is a senior this year but is planning to take a gap year and begin college in 2021.
Just to be clear, I don’t think biology is uninteresting - I actually think the opposite. But the job market doesn’t agree with me.
People with Biostatistics and bioinformatics degree are in high demand but people with ‘just’ biology aren’t. 
UTS has AES for specific test scores. UHouston has Honors college scholarships.
Don’t discount the private colleges - and if he applies a bit further from his region (especially if he applies in the Midwest) he could get excellent scholarships from private colleges - look into the consortium Colleges that change lives (often referred to as CTCL on this website). Run the NPCs - it’s tedious but you’ll soon see some colleges making good offers.
As a rule, make sure he finds two affordable safeties he likes (visit and hype) and 3-5 affordable matches.
Texas state is probably better than Sam Houston. Look at their honors colleges (admission criteria, perks, special classes); class size (% below 20, %below 40, % above), endowment and funding per student too…