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HOUSTON - Rice University is the top-ranked college or university in Texas, and it finished just outside the national top 10, according to a new report from personal-finance website WalletHub.
Rice University named best in Texas
File photo. Rice University on May 11, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Maria Lysaker/Getty Images)
What we know:
Rice University was ranked No. 11 out of 738 schools in WalletHub's 2027 College & University Rankings that was released Oct. 12. The report comes as high school seniors across Texas begin applying for fall 2027 admission.
Top 10 colleges and universities in Texas
SYMBOL - 29 July 2023, Baden-Württemberg, Mannheim: Graduates of the University of Mannheim wear graduation hats during the graduation ceremony in the auditorium. Photo: Silas Stein/dpa (Photo by Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)
By the numbers:
The top 10 Texas schools ranked among the top 266 nationally:
- Rice University, No. 11 nationally
- Trinity University, No. 49 nationally
- The University of Texas at Austin, No. 63 nationally
- Texas A&M University, No. 136 nationally
- Southwestern University, No. 168 nationally
- University of Dallas, No. 174 nationally
- Austin College, Sherman, No. 194 nationally
- Texas Christian University, No. 223 nationally
- LeTourneau University, No. 248 nationally
- The University of Texas at Dallas, No. 266 nationally
Southern Methodist University, Baylor University, Texas A&M International University, Texas Tech University and the University of Houston rounded out the state's top 15.
How Texas private and public schools compare
New college graduates celebrate the conclusion of their university's undergraduate commencement at Fenway Park by throwing their caps in the air. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
WalletHub compared schools across 30 metrics in seven categories. These include student selectivity, cost and financing, faculty resources, campus safety, campus experience, educational outcomes and career outcomes.
Rice University ranked behind only Georgia Tech among schools in the South and among the report's ranked categories, the university placed fourth nationally in faculty resources.
Cost was a weaker area for several of the state's private schools. Rice ranked 666th in cost and financing, and SMU ranked 734th of 738.
Several of Texas' biggest public universities ranked near the bottom nationally in faculty resources, a category based largely on student-faculty ratio and class size.
- UT Dallas ranked 734th
- The University of Texas at Arlington 727th
- The University of North Texas 716th
- The University of Houston 715th
Big picture view:
Data came from sources such as the National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Department of Education, and was collected as of Sept. 14.
WalletHub said the average annual cost of tuition, room and board at a four-year college ranges from about $31,000 to $65,000.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by WalletHub.