This Texas university beat UT Austin, TAMU for ‘best’ in state

(NEXSTAR) — Although both Texas A&M University and the University of Texas Austin take up a lot of space in academic attention in the Lone Star State, a different Texas school came out on top in a recent national ranking of best colleges and universities in the U.S.

UT Austin and TAMU ranked well, overall, but only one Texas university ranked in the top 10 of WalletHub’s Best Colleges and Universities 2026, among schools like Princeton (No. 1 nationally) and Harvard (No. 2).

To determine the ranking, WalletHub compared nearly 800 schools across seven categories, including student selectivity, cost, campus experience and career outcomes. Schools were then given scores out of 100, with higher scores being “best.”

Coming in ninth nationally is Rice University in Houston, with a total score of 77.45 — for context, Princeton, coming in at first, received a 79.66 score, so Rice is doing pretty well.

The private research institution received some of its highest scores for education outcomes and career outcomes, earning national rankings of 12th and 26th, respectively. Education outcomes measures retention rate, graduation rate and credentials awarded per undergraduate enrollment. Meanwhile, career outcomes measures things like share of graduates who find full-time employment within six months and median salaries of former students.

Here’s how the other Texas universities and colleges ranked in WalletHub’s list:

Overall rank	University/college	Total score
58.	University of Texas Austin	70.48
62.	Trinity University	70.17
158.	Texas A&M University	61.97
163.	Texas Christian University	61.66
175.	Austin College	61.25
177.	Southwestern University	61.17
245.	University of Dallas	58.96
259.	University of Texas-Dallas	58.73
268.	University of Houston	58.51
276.	LeTourneau University	58.17
293.	Southern Methodist University	57.90
303.	Texas A&M International University	57.59
336.	Baylor University	57.02
372.	Southwestern Adventist University	56.48
395.	Texas Tech University	56.20
450.	Abilene Christian University	55.00
475.	University of North Texas	54.56
486.	University of Houston-Victoria	54.30

Though it didn’t crack the top 10, UT Austin ranked at No. 63 nationally for education outcomes and 118th nationally for career outcomes. Meanwhile, Texas A&M International University, located in Laredo, ranked No. 1 nationally for cost and financing, which weighed things like availability of employment for students and student loan debt.

Neither University of the Incarnate Word, located in San Antonio, or University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, located in Edinburg, were included among the 500 schools WalletHub ranked. Both schools ranked in the top 5 of lowest student loan debt nationwide. UIW ranked No. 1 and UTRGV third, respectively. Texas Christian University and Baylor, on the other hand, were ranked among the top five highest.

For more information and to read WalletHub’s full college and university rankings, visit WalletHub.