A new list of the country’s best colleges is in, and some notable Texas schools made an appearance.
U.S. News & World Report has released its rankings for the 2025 Best Colleges, evaluating nearly 1,500 colleges and universities across 17 factors with an emphasis on social mobility and success after graduation. With this in mind, the majority of these factors relate to various outcome measures.
“Now in its 40th year, the Best Colleges rankings continue to be a trusted source of information for students and their families,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for education at U.S. News. “By considering factors such as social mobility and post-graduate success, we aim to help students choose schools that not only provide a quality education but also prepare them for a successful and fulfilling future.”
How did Texas higher education institutions rank among others in the U.S.? Here’s a breakdown of the data:
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LIST: Top 10 national universities
It may come as no surprise that the top five universities in the U.S. include three Ivy League schools — a group of eight private research universities in the Northeast known for their academic excellence. The list’s top 10 schools are as follows:
- 1. Princeton University in New Jersey (Ivy League)
- 2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- 3. Harvard University in Massachusetts (Ivy League)
- 4. Stanford University in California
- 5. Yale University in Connecticut (Ivy League)
- 6. California Institute of Technology (tie)
- 6. Duke University (tie)
- 6. Johns Hopkins University (tie)
- 6. Northwestern University (tie)
- 10. University of Pennsylvania (Ivy League)
Rice University ranks No. 6 in ‘best value’ schools
While the top five “best value” higher education institutions were the same as the top five overall, a Texas school ranked sixth.
U.S. News & World Report determined “best value” by evaluating each school’s academic quality against the net cost of attendance for an out-of-state student receiving the average level of need-based financial aid.
Houston’s Rice University boasts a position of sixth in best value schools, ranking higher than Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University and Brown University, to name a few.
Rice University also tied for seventh place in the country’s colleges for its commitment to undergraduate teaching.
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UTSA had second-largest leap in ranking
Four Texas schools were among the 18 colleges or universities with the most significant increases in rank this year. The University of Texas at San Antonio tied in pulling the second-largest jump in ranking, outranked only by D’Youville University in New York.
The schools with the largest increases in rank for the 2025 list are as follows:
| School | Increase in rank from 2024 |
| D’Youville University (New York) | +61 |
| University of Texas at San Antonio | +49 |
| North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University | +49 |
| Andrews University (Michigan) | +47 |
| Eastern Kentucky University | +41 |
| Dominican University New York | +40 |
| Union University (Tennessee) | +40 |
| University of North Texas | +40 |
| Winston-Salem State University (North Carolina) | +40 |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | +38 |
| Florida Institute of Technology | +38 |
| Augusta University (Georgia) | +36 |
| Boise State University (Idaho) | +36 |
| Prairie View A&M University (Texas) | +36 |
| Wichita State University (Kansas) | +36 |
| Mary Baldwin University (Virginia) | +34 |
| Mount St. Joseph University (Ohio) | +34 |
LIST: Best colleges and universities in Texas
The majority of Texas colleges are found in seven of its largest cities. UT-Austin and Texas A&M University in College Station, both publicly funded, are among the country’s biggest.
Here is how 26 listed Texas schools rank among national universities:
- 18: Rice University in Houston (tie)
- 30: University of Texas at Austin (tie)
- 51: Texas A&M University – College Station (tie)
- 91: Baylor University in Waco (tie)
- 91: Southern Methodist University in Dallas (tie)
- 105: Texas Christian University in Fort Worth (tie)
- 109: University of Texas at Dallas (tie)
- 144: University of Houston (tie)
- 209: University of St. Thomas in Houston (tie)
- 214: Texas Tech University in Lubbock (tie)
- 220: University of North Texas in Denton (tie)
- 220: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (tie)
- 231: Sam Houston State University in Huntsville (tie)
- 231: University of Texas at Arlington (tie)
- 231: University of Texas at San Antonio (tie)
- 266: University of Texas at El Paso (tie)
- 273: Texas State University in San Marcos (tie)
- 288: University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio (tie)
- 296: Abilene Christian University (tie)
- 315: University of Houston – Clear Lake (tie)
- 329: Texas Woman’s University in Denton (tie)
- 359: Prairie View A&M University (tie)
- 359: Texas A&M University – Kingsville (tie)
- 359: University of Texas at Tyler (tie)
- 371: Tarleton State University in Stephenville (tie)
- 377: Texas A&M University – Commerce (tie)
— This story was updated to correct a typo.