A travel control apparatus for a vehicle includes a frontward environment recognition unit, a map information storage unit, a vehicle position information obtaining unit, a traveling road information obtaining unit, a rut information detector, a first course setting unit, a second course setting unit, and a target course setting unit. A target course over a road surface on which a vehicle is to travel is set as a first course on the basis of map information, the target course over the road surface on which the vehicle is to travel is set as a second course or a third course on the basis of rut information, the first course is compared with the second and third courses, and the target course over the road surface on which the vehicle is to travel is set on the basis of traveling road information and the rut information.