UT Austin ranked top Texas university in global report

This year’s report featured more than 2,250 schools from five world regions to help aspiring college students find the best university that suits their higher education goals. UT Austin was the highest-ranked globally among public and private Texas universities on the list, which came out in the same month the university was named in another ranking of the world’s top institutions.

To compile the list, U.S. News used 13 key indicators including schools’ global research performance, reputation and collaborations. Globally, UT Austin ranked 54th overall, beating out other public universities such as Texas A&M (ranked No. 117) and Rice University (ranked No. 201). 

UT Austin ranked 12th in the world in space science, an area of research that encompasses both astronomy and astrophysics, according to a university news release. The university also ranked in the top 10 nationally in seven subjects, including Physical Chemistry, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (6th in the U.S.), Condensed Matter Physics (7th in the U.S.), Space Science and Chemistry (8th in the U.S.), Materials Science (9th in the U.S.), and Polymer Science (10th in the U.S.).

Among all public and private U.S. universities, UT Austin ranked No. 24, the eighth-highest among public universities in the country. The university also ranked highly in the top-50 global rankings across several general subject areas, including physics (35th worldwide, 17th in the U.S.), mathematics (44th worldwide, 17th in the U.S.), and social sciences and public health (37th worldwide, 16th in the U.S.), according to the report. 

Other Texas universities ranked globally behind UT Austin were the University of Texas at San Antonio (No. 296), the University of Houston (No. 390), and Baylor University (No. 451). Below those four in the report were UT Dallas (No. 503), Texas Tech University (No. 562), the University of North Texas (No. 739), UT Arlington (No. 875), Texas State University (No. 1531), and Texas Christian University (No. 1906). 

In June, the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) released its 2026 roundup of the world’s best universities, reviewing more than 21,000 higher education institutions before narrowing the list to the Top 2,000. UT Austin was the only university in Texas to make the CWUR rankings, securing a Top 50 finish among some of the most renowned destinations for higher learning.