Four-year colleges or universities often have a distinguished faculty, extensive computer and library resources, an array of academic choices, research opportunities and considerable prestige. In general, these institutions offer a larger number of campus activities and student organizations and greater involvement in intercollegiate athletics than two-year colleges. The University of North Texas is designated a Class I Doctorate-Granting Institution by the Carnegie Foundation. It offers a broad range of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs and is divided into nine colleges and schools. Many of the nation's four-year colleges are public.
Public colleges receive a significant amount of funding from taxes, keeping tuition low.
Because they are operated partially with state or local funds, public institutions are closely supervised by one or more governing boards. In Texas, tuition rates at public universities are determined by the Legislature, and locally elected boards set tuition and fee costs for public community colleges. In Texas, all public universities charge the same basic tuition, although fees vary greatly from institution to institution. Although tuition and other costs at state colleges are considered low, financial aid and scholarships are available for qualified applicants. Private colleges are not publicly funded, so tuition and fees are generally higher than for public colleges.