2023 Best Colleges in Texas
116
Colleges
$53,712
Avg Salary*
47%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
It's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Top Texas Colleges ranking - to help you make that decision.
Our analysis looked at 116 schools in Texas to determine which ones were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
Custom Rankings
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!
Top Colleges in Texas
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Rice University to be the best school for overall quality in Texas in this year’s ranking. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2,500 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $77,683 during the early years of their career..
Read full report on Rice University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #2 in Texas on this year’s overall quality ranking.Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 17,613 students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UT Austin go into careers with an average salary of $67,839 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on The University of Texas at Austin
Out of the 116 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #3 spot on the list. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large public school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 19,908 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M College Station go into careers with an average salary of $66,566 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Texas A&M University - College Station
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Methodist University. The school came in at #4 in Texas on this year’s overall quality ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 4,258 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from SMU is $72,514 during the early years of their career.
Full Southern Methodist University Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Christian University. The school came in at #5 in Texas on this year’s overall quality ranking. TCU is located in Fort Worth, Texas and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3,058 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from TCU go into careers with an average salary of $61,325 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Texas Christian University
Baylor University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas ranking. Baylor is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waco, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5,321 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Baylor is $60,512 during the early years of their career.
Full Baylor University Report
The University of Texas at Dallas came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Texas ranking. Located in Richardson, Texas, the large public school awarded 8,460 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UT Dallas is $60,595 during the early years of their career.
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Lee College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas ranking, coming in at #8. Lee College is a medium-sized public school located in Baytown, Texas that handed out 3,684 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Lee College make an average of $37,624 per year during the early years of their career.
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Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Lubbock, Texas, the large public school awarded 9,710 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $58,435 during the early years of their career..
Read full report on Texas Tech University
Trinity University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas ranking, coming in at #10. Trinity University is a small private not-for-profit school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 798 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. During the early years of their career, graduates from Trinity U make an average of $65,315 a year.
Read full report on Trinity University
University of North Texas ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges in Texas list. Located in Denton, Texas, the large public school handed out 10,800 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from UNT make an average of $51,232 a year.
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With a ranking of #12, University of Houston did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas list. Located in Houston, Texas, the large public school awarded 11,581 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UH make an average of $56,763 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Houston
The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas ranking.Arlington, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 14,417 students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UT Arlington make an average of $54,633 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on The University of Texas at Arlington
Texas State Technical College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas ranking, coming in at #14. Texas State Technical College is a fairly large public school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 2,789 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from TSTC make an average of $35,542 a year.
Read full report on Texas State Technical College
Texas State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges in Texas list. Located in San Marcos, Texas, the large public school awarded 9,313 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Texas State make an average of $50,671 per year during the early years of their career.
Full Texas State University Report
With a ranking of #16, Central Texas College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas list. Located in Killeen, Texas, the medium-sized public school handed out 2,323 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Central Texas College is $34,775 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Central Texas College
With a ranking of #17, Northwest Vista College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas list. Northwest Vista College is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,838 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Vista College make an average of $40,280 per year during the early years of their career.
Full Northwest Vista College Report
University of Dallas ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges in Texas list. Located in Irving, Texas, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 745 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from UD make an average of $54,695 a year.
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The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas ranking. This large public school is located in Edinburg, Texas, and it awarded 6,962 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UT Rio Grande Valley is $45,895 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas ranking, coming in at #20. UTSA is a large public school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 8,095 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from UTSA make an average of $50,810 a year.
Full The University of Texas at San Antonio Report
Sam Houston State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges in Texas list. This large public school is located in Huntsville, Texas, and it awarded 5,395 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from SHSU is $50,125 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Sam Houston State University
Collin County Community College District ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges in Texas list. Collin County Community College District is a large public school situated in McKinney, Texas. It awarded 5,703 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $44,658 during the early years of their career..
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With a ranking of #23, El Centro College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas list. This large public school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 12,775 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from El Centro College make an average of $37,543 a year.
Read More…
Southwestern University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in Texas ranking. Located in Georgetown, Texas, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 364 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Southwestern go into careers with an average salary of $57,053 during the early years of their career.
Read More…
Texas Woman’s University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges in Texas list.Denton, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,310 students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from TWU make an average of $49,724 a year.
Read full report on Texas Woman’s University
Best Colleges in the Southwest Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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