These are the best colleges in Texas for 2026, report finds

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(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:

College2026 Rank2025 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

(Niche.com)

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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