Best Colleges In Texas

Colleges are institutions that offer individuals who have reached a set pre-educational requirement an array of courses for which they receive a degree or certification when they complete their studies and pass all examinations. The degrees can range from bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, master’s degrees, postgraduate diplomas, doctorate degrees, and other certificates. Colleges are important as it offers students a more in-depth knowledge of their selected fields and a corresponding degree as proof of this knowledge. The choice of a college by any student is one to take great care of as it involves making a costly choice that can affect your adult experience and leave you with a lot of debt. Choosing the best college in your area might be difficult as many options are available for students to choose from. The area in review here is the state of Texas located in the United States. Texas is located in the south-central part of the United States and is the second-largest state in terms of land mass and population. The entirety of Texas has one hundred and seventy colleges, this includes the public colleges, private and non-profit colleges, and community colleges, with the majority located in some of Texas’s major cities such as Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin.

Texas has many colleges that have been ranked among the best in the United States, therefore, increasing the chances of students looking to study in Texas being accepted into a top-ranking college. Well here are the parameters to note when deciding if a college is among the best;

• The best colleges are ranked highly nationwide and worldwide.
• The best colleges have bountiful financial aid combined with tuition that is affordable for its students. Financial aid may include grants and scholarships awarded by the school or another organization to help less privileged students pay for their tuition.
• The best colleges have high graduation rates and retention rates too. This shows that the school can keep its students happy and willing to complete their education.
• The best colleges have a low student-to-department ratio. This indicates that students will have more lecturer-student integration and also more direct learning as the lecturers can work with every student.
• The best colleges provide their students access to multiple internship vacancies and research facilities and funding.
• The best colleges have a curriculum that keeps students engaged and focused.
• The best colleges have efficient security and are safe for students to exist without fear.

Using these parameters let’s look into the top colleges in Texas, USA.

THE BEST COLLEGES IN TEXAS.

These are the list of the top ten best colleges in Texas. This list was compiled after considering the school’s national and regional ranking in the United States, their rates and other factors. This means that it is subject to change but is accurate at the time this article was written. Here is a brief overview of the top ten best colleges and universities in Texas.

1. RICE UNIVERSITY, HOUSTON, TEXAS.

Rice University, known as the William Marsh Rice University established in 1912, is located on a 300-acre campus in Houston, Texas is one of the top nationally-ranked colleges placing 17th in the United States and the top-ranked the 1st in Texas. The college is privately owned and a non-profit college with one of the best research facilities in the country. Rice University is consistently ranked as one of the top colleges in the country due to its dedication to research, the diverse races and the level of inclusion among the students, exceptional programs in academia, multiple sports facilities and training, a low student-to-faculty ratio of 6:1, accommodation and residency, and many other factors students need to have the best college experience.  Rice University cost an average of $70,000 annually without financial aid and an average of $16,000 with financial aid. The college has an acceptance rate of 11% and a graduation rate of 95%. 

2. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, AUSTIN. 

The University of Texas at Austin established in 1883 is a public college located in Austin, Texas. The college ranked 38th in the US and the 2nd in Texas. The college has always provided Texan residents and non-Texans high-quality education for affordable costs, with over 150 undergraduate programs, and 230 graduate programs all with corresponding degrees providing students with options from more than 12,000 courses. The college has a total of seventeen libraries housing over ten million books and seven museums with over 17,000 artworks and over five million specimens. It is a research-focused college working to achieve solutions to our everyday problems in major industries like healthcare using science, technology, engineering, and others. This drive encourages the students at the University of Texas at Austin to think beyond the norms and provide the facilities and funding necessary to keep it all operating smoothly.  The University of Texas at Austin costs an average of $30,000 annually without financial aid and $20,000 after financial aid for in-state students, out-of-state students pay a higher fee. The college has an acceptance rate of 32% and a graduation rate of 83%.

3. SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY DALLAS.

Southern Methodist University ranked 68th in the US and 3rd in Texas is located at University Park in Dallas, Texas. It is a private and non-profit college that has a notable focus on research making the adequate facilities and funding available and accessible for students to innovate. The college provides its students with over 250 school programs for undergraduates and postgraduate degrees. The Southern Methodist University provides their underprivileged students with multiple financial aid options which includes grants and scholarships to ease the financial burden with over 75% of students benefiting from one form of aid. This is a great benefit as up to 72% of graduates from SMU do so without student debt. The location of SMSU in Dallas allows the college to integrate internship programs for students to get experience and practical knowledge of their discipline. The Southern Methodist University cost an average of $80,000 annually without financial aid and $40k with financial aid. The college has an acceptance rate of 53% and a graduation rate of 78%.

4. TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE STATION.

Texas A&M University which is located in college station, Texas was established in 1876 and is the first public college in Texas. The college is very research-focused and has been given the classification as an R1; doctoral college which indicates high research activities in 2021, it has been ranked as 68th in the US and 4th in Texas. It has more than 130 programs and over 20 research institutions using a semester-based school system for their academic functions. The student body of Texas A&M University is the largest in the country with over 55,000 students enrolling in the undergraduate program every year. Because Texas A&M University is a public college, tuition varies for in-state and out-of-state students with the former paying $30,000 before financial aid and $14,000 after financial aid annually and the latter $40,000 annually. The college has an acceptance rate of 63% and a graduation rate of 82%. 

5. BAYLOR UNIVERSITY, WACO.

Baylor University is a private and Christian college established in 1845. It is ranked 75th in the United States and 5th in Texas. Baylor University is the oldest still-functioning university in Texas and one of the first higher learning institutes in the Midwest. It is the largest Baptist College in the world. Baylor’s focus on research and the provision of facilities and funding has it classified as an R1; doctoral university which indicates the very high levels of research activities in the college. The college awards bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and many other post-graduate degrees. Tuition for all Baylor students is the same not minding the students location because it is a private school, it costs an average of $50,000 annually without financial aid and $37,000 with financial aid. The college has an acceptance rate of 68% and a graduation rate of 79%.

6. TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY, FORT WORTH. 

Texas Christian University is a private non-profit college that is linked with Christianity and the church. It was created in 1873 and is located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The college which is ranked 83rd and 6th in Texas has also been ranked as having top nursing and CRNA schools, and one of the best college dormitories in the United States. The Texas Christian University has 8 faculty and they follow a classic liberal arts curriculum. The college is research-focused and has the proper facilities and funding available for its students classifying the college as an R2; doctoral university which indicates high levels of research activities. Tuition to attend costs an average of $72,000 annually without financial aid and $40,000 after financial aid. The college has an acceptance rate of 48% and a graduation rate of 83%.

7. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS, RICHARDSON.

The University of Texas at Dallas is a public university located in Richardson, Texas. It was established in 1961 as a private research institute before its conversion into the University of Texas at Dallas in 1970. It is a part of the University of Texas system and is located at the most northern part of texas among the group. The college ranks 136th in the US and 7th in Texas. The college is one of the largest public universities in Dallas with a fast growing research program making it the fastest college in Texas to be granted the classification as an R2; doctoral university which indicates the high level of research at the university. The college has more than 140 programs, 8 faculties, and over 50 research institutes. Attending the University of Texas at Dallas costs an average of $30,000 for in-state students before financial aid and $15,000 after financial aid. The college has an acceptance rate of 79% and a graduation rate of 71%. 

8. UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, HOUSTON. 

The University of Houston is a public university located in Houston, Texas. It was established in 1927 and is the 2nd largest college in Texas and has a focus on research with the proper facilities and funding and has been distinguished as a leader in major research fields such as Energy conservation and Health research. The college offers more than 300 programs to both undergraduate students and postgraduate students. It also has one of the most diverse college communities among students in the US. Tuition for the University of Houston cost an average of $27,000 without financial aid and $14,000 after financial aid annually. The college has an acceptance rate of 63% and a graduation rate of 63%.

9. TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY, LUBBOCK.

Texas Tech University is a public university situated in Lubbock, Texas. The college which was created in 1923 is a research institute with a great focus on innovating and creating through research. It is currently ranked as the 213th nationwide and the 9th in Texas. The college has over 250 programs which include bachelor’s programs, master’s programs, doctorate programs, and other professional programs and degrees. To attend the Texas tech university costs an average of $25,000 without financial aid and $12,000 with financial aid annually, this fee varies between in-state and out-of-state students. The college has an acceptance rate of 70% and a graduation rate of 61%.

10. SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY, HUNTSVILLE.

Sam Houston State University is a public university located in Huntsville, Texas. It was established in 1879 to be the first normal college in the Midwest and it is the 3rd oldest public university in Texas. The college has been ranked 249th in the US and the 10th in Texas and has over 150 programs for undergraduate and postgraduate students with 20 online undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The college has full-time, part-time, and online options for its students and has one of the most affordable MBA programs in the United States.  Tuition to attend Sam Houston State University costs an average of $24,000 without financial aid and $15,000 with financial aid annually. The college has an acceptance rate of 92% and a graduation rate of 52%. 

• In conclusion; All of the above listed colleges indicate how good a school is compared to its counterparts. Higher graduation rates show prospective students that the school environment encourages students to complete their programs. A particular college may better suit a student because of its affordability, availability of dorms, or location if it is located in-state or out-of-state, the colleges above were ranked after all the major factors were considered—schools with well-established alumni, good research facilities, and low student-to-faculty ratios rank higher than others without. Choosing the best school is a choice many students struggle over and it is an important one because it is well-known that the best schools produce the best students.