With 81 public and private higher education institutions with 500 or more full-time undergraduates in Texas, how do you decide which are the best colleges in Texas? Well, a lot of people will just look at US News Best College Rankings and consider it problem solved. In that case, the list of best colleges in Texas is easy:
US News Best Texas Colleges Ranked Nationally
Rice University (16)
The University of Texas at Austin (42)
Southern Methodist University (66)
Texas A & M University (66)
Baylor University (76)
Texas Christian University (80)
Best Colleges in Texas by the Rankings
US News isn’t the only college rankings around. Fiske Guide to Colleges lists 12 Texas colleges worthy of consideration:
Austin College
Baylor University
Rice University
Southern Methodist University
Southwestern University
The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Dallas
Texas A&M University
Texas Christian University
Texas Tech University
Trinity University
University of Dallas
They consider these the best and most interesting colleges in the nation that students want to know about.
Princeton Review’s of the Best 386 Colleges includes:
Angelo State University
Austin College
Baylor University
Rice University
Southern Methodist University
Southwestern University
Texas A&M University
Texas Christian University
Texas State University
The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Dallas
Trinity University
University of Dallas
University of Houston
These schools are included because of student responses to their survey. They have different ratings they apply to schools. In other words, being in the book doesn’t mean they are the best 386 schools in the nation.
There are a variety of other rankings out there that you can use to see how Texas colleges rank. They all use different methodologies to determine which is “best.”
Best Texas Colleges by the Numbers
The thing is that if you like determining “best” by numbers, there are quite a few numbers to choose from.
Let’s start with the basic numbers. With 81 colleges and universities, Texas ranks 4th in the nation in the number of colleges behind New York, Pennsylvania, and California. It ranks 2nd after California in the number of public institutions which outnumber private in the state. Not surprisingly, it ranks 7th in the number of private colleges and universities.
Size is a critical factor for many students when choosing a college so you may want to first select colleges by size and then figure out which ones are the best. In Texas, half the colleges have 2,500 or fewer full-time undergraduates. Your choices decrease dramatically as the school size increases.
| Size | Private | Public | Total |
| 2,500 or less | 29 | 12 | 41 |
| 2,501-5,000 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 5,001-10,000 | 2 | 14 | 16 |
| 10,001 plus | 1 | 13 | 14 |
| Grand Total | 37 | 44 | 81 |
While fewer choices may make it easier to decide, it can have a significant effect on how much merit aid students receive.
10 Hardest Texas Colleges to Get Into
One way to measure the value of something is by scarcity. Think gold or diamonds. And everyone knows that Harvard and Stanford are in a race to see who has the lowest acceptance rate, which is now down around 4%. As far as college admissions goes, the theory is that if a school is really hard to get into then it must be really good as well. Texas has 14 schools that accept less than 50% of applicants.
| Name | Tye | Full-time Under-grads | 4 yr Grad Rate | % Admitted | Avg SAT (1600) | Avg ACT | Avg Net Price 2018-2019 |
| Rice University | Private | 3,949 | 84 | 9 | 1520 | 34.0 | $20,335 |
| Trinity University | Private | 2,394 | 66 | 29 | 1370 | 30.5 | $30,505 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Public | 37,352 | 66 | 32 | 1355 | 30.0 | $15,502 |
| Texas Wesleyan University | Private | 1,330 | 18 | 42 | 1065 | 21.5 | $26,434 |
| Texas A & M University-Commerce | Public | 6,209 | 25 | 43 | 1050 | 21.0 | $12,477 |
| Texas A&M University-San Antonio | Public | 3,340 | 44 | 1030 | 19.0 | $14,059 | |
| Baylor University | Private | 13,967 | 63 | 45 | 1290 | 29.0 | $38,372 |
| LeTourneau University | Private | 1,345 | 49 | 45 | 1200 | 25.5 | $24,609 |
| McMurry University | Private | 1,014 | 28 | 45 | 1020 | 20.0 | $21,719 |
| University of Dallas | Public | 1,446 | 68 | 45 | 1245 | 27.0 | $26,761 |
| Southern Methodist University | Private | 6,509 | 72 | 47 | 1390 | 31.0 | $40,404 |
| Texas Christian University | Private | 9,190 | 71 | 47 | 1250 | 28.0 | $37,509 |
| University of North Texas at Dallas | Public | 2,427 | 11 | 47 | 840 | 18.5 | $9,062 |
| Southwestern University | Private | 1,496 | 63 | 49 | 1230 | 26.0 | $27,757 |
The list above includes all but one of the colleges ranked nationally by US News College Rankings. But it also includes colleges in the last tier of US news College Rankings as well as one that is unranked. Self-selection plays a bigger role than people realize. In other words, it’s hard to be accepted for those who want to go there. And if everyone wants to go there, it’s even harder. Acceptance rates have their limitations.
Texas Colleges with the Best Test Scores
You can also consider the quality of the school based on the quality of the students it admits. The theory here is that good students go to good schools and better students go to better schools. Now our list of the Best Colleges in Texas is looking a lot like the US News College Rankings. The following tables list the top 10 Texas colleges by average SAT and ACT scores.
Top 10 Texas Colleges with Highest SAT Scores
| Name | Type | Full-time Under-graduate | 4 yr Grad Rate | % Admitted | Avg SAT (1600) | Avg ACT | Avg Net Price 2018-2019 |
| Rice University | Private | 3,949 | 84 | 9 | 1520 | 34.0 | $20,335 |
| Southern Methodist University | Private | 6,509 | 72 | 47 | 1390 | 31.0 | $40,404 |
| Trinity University | Private | 2,394 | 66 | 29 | 1370 | 30.5 | $30,505 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Public | 37,352 | 66 | 32 | 1355 | 30.0 | $15,502 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | Public | 17,847 | 52 | 79 | 1350 | 29.5 | $10,455 |
| Baylor University | Private | 13,967 | 63 | 45 | 1290 | 29.0 | $38,372 |
| Texas A & M University | Public | 47,874 | 55 | 58 | 1275 | 28.5 | $19,237 |
| Texas Christian University | Private | 9,190 | 71 | 47 | 1250 | 28.0 | $37,509 |
| University of Dallas | Private | 1,446 | 68 | 45 | 1245 | 27.0 | $26,761 |
| Southwestern University | Private | 1,496 | 63 | 49 | 1230 | 26.0 | $27,757 |
Top 10 Texas Colleges with Highest ACT Scores
| Name | Type | Full-time Under-graduate | 4 yr Grad Rate | % Admitted | Avg SAT (1600) | Avg ACT | Avg Net Price 2018-2019 |
| Rice University | Private | 3,949 | 84 | 9 | 1520 | 34.0 | $20,335 |
| Southern Methodist University | Private | 6,509 | 72 | 47 | 1390 | 31.0 | $40,404 |
| Trinity University | Private | 2,394 | 66 | 29 | 1370 | 30.5 | $30,505 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Public | 37,352 | 66 | 32 | 1355 | 30.0 | $15,502 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | Public | 17,847 | 52 | 79 | 1350 | 29.5 | $10,455 |
| Baylor University | Private | 13,967 | 63 | 45 | 1290 | 29.0 | $38,372 |
| Texas A & M University-College Station | Public | 47,874 | 55 | 58 | 1275 | 28.5 | $19,237 |
| Texas Christian University | Private | 9,190 | 71 | 47 | 1250 | 28.0 | $37,509 |
| University of Dallas | Private | 1,446 | 68 | 45 | 1245 | 27.0 | $26,761 |
| Austin College | Private | 1,294 | 68 | 51 | 1210 | 26.5 | $23,824 |
These college lists include all of the schools ranked by US News College Rankings. You can see that the only difference is at the 10th position where Southwestern University and Austin College exchange places.
The problem with using college tests scores and other similar criteria is that you’re looking at the “inputs.” You know the students had a certain level of academic qualifications when they entered but it tells you nothing about what happens to them once they entered college. In some ways, it can be compared to hospitals taking the least sick patients and then having a great cure rate.
Best Texas Colleges for Graduation Rates
Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of indicators available to show the college’s effect on the student. There’s an increasing amount of data on salaries but it’s something you really have to break down by major. Perhaps the simplest indicator you can use is college graduation rates. The following tables list Texas colleges with the highest graduation rates. Since private and public colleges generally have different costs, I’m using the 4-year rate for private schools and the 5-year rate for public schools.
Private Texas Colleges with Highest Graduation Rates
| Name | Type | Full-time Under-graduate | 4 yr Grad Rate | 5 yr Grad Rate | % Admitted | Avg SAT (1600) | Avg ACT | Avg Net Price 2018-2019 |
| Rice University | Private | 3,949 | 84 | 91 | 9 | 1520 | 34.0 | $20,335 |
| Southern Methodist University | Private | 6,509 | 72 | 80 | 47 | 1390 | 31.0 | $40,404 |
| Texas Christian University | Private | 9,190 | 71 | 81 | 47 | 1250 | 28.0 | $37,509 |
| University of Dallas | Private | 1,446 | 68 | 71 | 45 | 1245 | 27.0 | $26,761 |
| Austin College | Private | 1,294 | 68 | 72 | 51 | 1210 | 26.5 | $23,824 |
| Remington College-Dallas | Private | 620 | 67 | 67 | $20,126 | |||
| Trinity University | Private | 2,394 | 66 | 75 | 29 | 1370 | 30.5 | $30,505 |
| Baylor University | Private | 13,967 | 63 | 77 | 45 | 1290 | 29.0 | $38,372 |
| Southwestern University | Private | 1,496 | 63 | 68 | 49 | 1230 | 26.0 | $27,757 |
| Saint Edward’s University | Private | 3,202 | 50 | 61 | 88 | 1153 | 25.0 | $28,214 |
Public Texas Colleges with Highest Graduation Rates
| Name | Type | Full-time Under-graduate | 4 yr Grad Rate | 5 yr Grad Rate | % Admitted | Avg SAT (1600) | Avg ACT | Avg Net Price 2018-2019 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Public | 37,352 | 66 | 83 | 32 | 1355 | 30.0 | $15,502 |
| Texas A & M University | Public | 47,874 | 55 | 79 | 58 | 1275 | 28.5 | $19,237 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | Public | 17,847 | 52 | 66 | 79 | 1350 | 29.5 | $10,455 |
| Texas Tech University | Public | 27,949 | 36 | 56 | 69 | 1165 | 24.5 | $16,463 |
| University of Houston | Public | 28,176 | 32 | 54 | 65 | 1225 | 24.5 | $13,212 |
| University of North Texas | Public | 26,049 | 35 | 51 | 74 | 1155 | 24 | $14,020 |
| Sam Houston State University | Public | 15,232 | 32 | 50 | 83 | 1065 | 21.0 | $13,055 |
| Texas State University | Public | 27,812 | 29 | 49 | 81 | 1095 | 22.0 | $13,178 |
| Stephen F Austin State University | Public | 9,195 | 32 | 49 | 68 | 1085 | 21.5 | $12,866 |
| Tarleton State University | Public | 8,172 | 30 | 45 | 56 | 1045 | 20.5 | $14,631 |
Best Texas Colleges for National Merit Scholarships
Students in the running for qualifying as a National Merit Scholar should be on the lookout for schools sponsoring National Merit Scholarships. Texas A&M and UT Dallas sponsored over 100 scholarships each this past year.
| Name | Total Sponsored |
| Texas A & M University | 110 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | 100 |
| Southern Methodist University | 15 |
| University of Houston | 10 |
| University of Dallas | 10 |
| Texas Tech University | 3 |
| University of North Texas | 3 |
| Texas Christian University | 3 |
| Trinity University | 3 |
| Southwestern University | 3 |
| Abilene Christian University | 3 |
If you’re surprised at how few colleges offer national merit scholarships, you really need to read 10 Reasons Why National Merit Scholarships aren’t that Big of a Deal.
What’s Important to You
Obviously, how you determine which are the best colleges in Texas depends on what you’re looking for from a college. Just consider some lessor known colleges listings. Three Texas institutions are among the best Public Honors Colleges according to the Public University Honors website:
- UT Austin Plan II Honors Program
- Houston Honors College
- Texas Tech Honors College
For those looking for Liberal Arts Colleges, Austin College and Southwestern University are both among the Colleges that Change Lives. If you’re more interested in social mobility, Texas A&M, UT-Austin, UT-Rio Grande Valley, and Rice University rank in the top 100 of the Washington Monthly’s ranking.
And we haven’t even begun to address costs. After all, isn’t that usually the way most people compare major purchases? They have a certain budget and then start comparing the items within that price range. College comparisons are complicated by the need to factor in the likelihood of being accepted as well. It doesn’t matter if Rice has great financial aid if you can’t get in.
Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be any rankings based on the combination of costs and acceptance rates. But if you’re interested in pulling the data together to create your own, save yourself time and use the DIY College Rankings Spreadsheet.
