(NEXSTAR) – As high school seniors across the country start their final year before graduation, Niche.com released its annual ranking of the best U.S. colleges and universities for 2026.
The Pittsburgh-based education research platform says the rankings are designed to “help students identify institutions that best match their academic goals, personal values, budgets, and campus preferences.”
Rice University takes the top spot for the second year in a row for the state of Texas. The university also ranked as the 10th best school in the entire country, according to Niche
See the Top 20 schools below:
College | 2026 Rank | 2025 Rank |
|---|---|---|
Rice University | 1 | 1 |
University of Texas – Austin | 2 | 2 |
Texas A&M University | 3 | 3 |
Trinity University | 4 | 4 |
Texas Christian University | 5 | 6 |
Southern Methodist University | 6 | 5 |
Texas Tech University | 7 | 7 |
University of Houston | 8 | 8 |
University of Texas – Tyler | 9 | 11 |
Baylor University | 10 | 9 |
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 11 | 12 |
Texas A&M International University | 12 | 10 |
University of Texas – Dallas | 13 | 18 |
University of North Texas | 14 | 13 |
Abilene Christian University | 15 | 15 |
University of Texas – Arlington | 16 | 16 |
University of Houston-Clear Lake | 17 | 20 |
University of Dallas | 18 | 19 |
Texas State University | 19 | 14 |
University of Houston – Victoria | 20 | 24 |
See the full ranking on the Niche.com site.
The methodology behind the ranking includes data from the Department of Education and National Science Foundation; enrollment, graduation and alumni earning statistics; tuition and financial aid information; and more than 1 million reviews from students and alumni, according to Niche.
See the company’s website for more information.
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