Paxton is suing the Texas American Muslim University in Dallas, alleging the school was not authorized to offer degrees.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing a Muslim university, alleging the Dallas-area school is misrepresenting itself as a university, offering degrees it is not authorized to grant, and misleading prospective students about its legitimacy.
In the May 18 lawsuit filed in Collin County District Court, Paxton asked for a temporary restraining order and an injunction to stop Texas American Muslim University (TexAM) from operating. Additionally, the state is suing for more than $1 million in civil penalties for violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Texas Education Code.
“TexAM has repeatedly disregarded Texas law, misrepresented its authority to grant degrees, and risked deceiving students about its legitimacy,” Paxton said in a statement. “My office will not allow illegal, unaccredited degree mills to operate in Texas.”
According to the lawsuit, the university was not authorized to operate a private postsecondary institution in Texas. It advertised bachelor’s and master’s programs, operated a student campus in Richardson, Texas, and solicited students online and overseas.
The lawsuit alleged that the school’s use of the TexAM brand was “confusingly similar” to Texas A&M University. Also, the entity’s nonprofit corporate charter was allegedly forfeited in February 2026 and began operating as a general partnership.
On May 7, Gov. Greg Abbott directed his state’s higher education coordinating board to issue a cease-and-desist order against the entity, which he said lacked credentials and the authority to provide academic instruction or award degrees.
“Texas will not allow illegal educational institutions to operate in our state,” Abbott said in a social media post on X.
The May 6 cease-and-desist letter issued by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board stated that TexAM wasn’t complying with the law and was subject to civil penalties.
The letter set a May 8, 2026, deadline to sign and return an attached agreement, “confirming that you have voluntarily, permanently, and immediately ceased advertising, offering, and enrolling students in degrees or programs in Texas and using protected terms.”
