TX Course Availability: 88.7% Scarcity (2026)

Texas has 35 community colleges in this dataset, 74,238 sections, and 4,638 unique course IDs. Its scarcity ratio — the share of the catalog that is available at fewer than 25% of colleges — is 88.7%. That is the highest figure of any state system covered here.

The number needs context. Texas does not have a single statewide community college system the way North Carolina or Georgia does. Its 50+ independent districts each run their own SIS, set their own schedules, and handle their own catalogs. What holds the system together at the transfer level is the Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS): a shared course-ID framework that guarantees ENGL-1301 means the same thing at Houston Community College as it does at Panola College or Del Mar. That common-numbering layer creates a real universal catalog for gen-ed requirements. But as in every state system where we've run this analysis, the layer underneath the universal catalog is deeply fragmented.

For the framework behind how these two layers work — and what to do when your course sits in the scarce tier — see the course availability hub article.

#The 88.7% scarcity ratio: what it means in practice

| Tier | Courses | Share | |---|---|---| | Universal (≥80% of colleges) | 26 | 1.0% | | Common (50–79% of colleges) | 63 | 2.4% | | Selective (25–49% of colleges) | 212 | 7.9% | | Scarce (<25% of colleges, ≥3 sections) | 2,001 | 75.0% | | Point-source (1 college, ≥5 sections) | 366 | 13.7% |

Only 26 courses — 1% of the catalog — are genuinely universal. Everything else, 88.7% of the catalog, is either scarce or concentrated entirely at one campus.

#The universal tier: what runs everywhere

Texas's 26 universal courses are the predictable gen-ed anchor points that TCCNS was designed to protect:

| Course | Colleges | Sections | |---|---|---| | ENGL-1301 Composition I | 33 | 2,835 | | ENGL-1302 Composition II | 33 | 1,541 | | HIST-1301 United States History I | 33 | 1,453 | | GOVT-2306 Texas Government | 33 | 1,193 | | MATH-1314 College Algebra | 32 | 1,670 | | GOVT-2305 United States Government | 32 | 1,463 | | PSYC-2301 General Psychology | 32 | 1,173 | | SPCH-1315 Public Speaking | 32 | 729 | | ECON-2301 Principles of Macroeconomics | 32 | 676 | | SOCI-1301 Introduction to Sociology | 32 | 631 |

ENGL-1301's 2,835 sections across 33 colleges means that if you miss registration at your home campus, you will find another section. GOVT-2306 (Texas Government) is worth a specific mention — Texas state law requires all students at public institutions to complete Texas Government as a degree requirement.

#The anchor campus structure: San Antonio and Panola

| College | Exclusive Courses | Share of Exclusives | |---|---|---| | San Antonio College | 58 | 15.8% | | Panola College | 49 | 13.4% | | St. Philip's College | 46 | 12.6% | | Lone Star College System | 31 | 8.5% | | Houston Community College | 21 | 5.7% |

The unexpected finding: Panola College, with 3,396 total sections and only 288 unique courses, holds 49 exclusive courses — more than Lone Star College System and more than Houston Community College, both of which are dramatically larger institutions. Panola's exclusivity reflects specialized workforce programs tied to East Texas's energy and agricultural economy.

#Entirely scarce subject areas

Five subject-area prefixes in Texas have 100% scarcity:

• ABDR (Auto Body Repair): 21 courses, all scarce.
• AERM (Aeromechanics): 35 courses, all scarce. Aircraft maintenance programs concentrate at colleges near airports.
• ARTV (Visual Arts Technology): 10 courses, all scarce.
• BNKG (Banking): 5 courses, all scarce.
• GAME (Game Development): 15 courses, all scarce.

If your intended path draws on any of these prefixes, confirm that the campus you are considering actually runs courses in that prefix before you enroll.

#What this means for TCCNS and transfer planning

The Texas Common Course Numbering System is a real transfer guarantee for the universal catalog. If you complete ENGL-1301, HIST-1301, and GOVT-2306 at any Texas community college, those credits transfer to any Texas public university under the same course codes.

But TCCNS guarantees transfer equivalency for courses that exist — it doesn't guarantee that every course in the system is available at every campus. Florida faces the same issue: the SCNS numbering framework gives students confidence that credits will transfer, but 69.2% of the Florida catalog is still scarce. Texas's scarcity ratio, at 88.7%, is higher.

The transfer-safe strategy: verify each course in your planned sequence against actual section availability, not just the TCCNS registry.

#Comparing Texas to other state systems

Texas's 88.7% scarcity ratio is the highest in this dataset. For context:

• North Carolina (55 colleges): 78.9%
• Florida (10 colleges in this dataset): 69.2%
• Virginia (23 colleges): 68.6%
• Georgia TCSG (20 colleges): 50.8%

Texas's higher ratio reflects two structural factors: the complete absence of a single statewide system, and the sheer size of the Texas catalog — 4,638 unique course IDs across 35 colleges.

#What to do before you register

Confirm the universal courses first. ENGL-1301, ENGL-1302, HIST-1301, GOVT-2306, MATH-1314, PSYC-2301, SPCH-1315, ECON-2301, and SOCI-1301 will be at your campus.

For any specialized course, search system-wide before committing to a campus. If a course in your planned sequence is in the ABDR, AERM, GAME, or ARTV prefixes, verify where active sections are scheduled.

Look for online sections from Texas colleges. Many Texas colleges make online sections available to out-of-district students at standard tuition rates.

For clinical and practicum courses, check clinical partnerships specifically. RNSG and other clinical courses are anchor-campus-specific by necessity.

North Carolina's NCCCS has the same structure: common-numbering makes the gen-ed catalog reliable, but 78.9% of the total catalog is still scarce.