Texas universities moved sharply in both directions in the latest U.S. News & World Report college rankings released Tuesday, with Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University climbing while the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University lost ground.
The new 2027 rankings place Rice University highest among Texas schools at No. 16 nationally. UT Austin dropped four spots to No. 34, while Texas A&M fell eight places to No. 59.
Closer to home, SMU climbed three positions to No. 85, while TCU jumped seven spots to No. 90.
The rankings were released September 22 amid another change in U.S. News methodology, including greater emphasis on graduates’ earnings within their fields of study.
TCU And SMU Move Up
TCU posted one of the more notable gains among major Texas universities, climbing seven places to No. 90 nationally.
SMU also improved, moving three spots to No. 85 and landing in a five-way tie at that position.
The gains give North Texas two universities moving in the opposite direction from several of the state’s best-known public institutions.
The Dallas Express has previously tracked how SMU and TCU perform in state and national rankings.
DX reported in 2023 that both universities placed among Texas’ top schools in a WalletHub ranking.
DX also reported that SMU and TCU ranked among the state’s leading institutions in Niche’s college rankings, alongside other North Texas universities.
UT Austin And Texas A&M Fall
The latest rankings produced a different result for two of Texas’ flagship public universities.
UT Austin dropped four positions to No. 34 nationally, while Texas A&M fell eight spots to No. 59.
Despite the declines, UT Austin remained No. 8 among public universities nationally, while Texas A&M ranked No. 24 among public institutions.
Rice University remained the highest-ranked school in Texas, moving up one spot to No. 16 overall.
Six Texas universities landed in the national top 100.
New Formula Rewards Graduate Earnings
This year’s rankings include a significant methodological change that affected universities across the country.
U.S. News placed greater emphasis on how much graduates earn within their respective academic fields, particularly among students who received federal financial aid, MarketWatch reported Tuesday.
The change helped propel Massachusetts Institute of Technology to the No. 1 position nationally, ending Princeton University’s 15-year run at the top of the U.S. News list.
Princeton moved to No. 2, followed by Harvard University at No. 3 and Yale University at No. 4. California Institute of Technology and Stanford University tied for fifth.
The increased emphasis on earnings comes as students and families face growing questions about college costs, debt and whether expensive degrees produce sufficient financial returns.
Rankings Remain Controversial
College rankings remain influential among prospective students and families, but changes in methodology can also produce dramatic year-to-year swings.
The Dallas Express previously reported on criticism surrounding earlier U.S. News methodology changes.
Critics have argued that national rankings can oversimplify differences among universities and sometimes place too much emphasis on factors that favor wealthy institutions.
Supporters contend that rankings can still provide useful comparisons of graduation rates, student outcomes, academic resources and other measurable factors when considered alongside cost and individual academic needs.
This year’s results demonstrate how significantly a methodological adjustment can reshape the standings.
North Texas Schools Gain Ground
For North Texas, the most notable movement was upward.
SMU gained three spots and TCU gained seven, while the University of North Texas also received recognition in a separate category.
UNT tied at No. 26 nationally among U.S. News’ top performers in social mobility, according to Axios Dallas.
The social-mobility ranking examines how effectively universities enroll and graduate economically disadvantaged students, including those who receive federal Pell Grants.
Tuesday’s results leave Texas universities moving in markedly different directions: Rice remains the state’s highest-ranked school, SMU and TCU gained ground, and UT Austin and Texas A&M both slipped in the national standings.
