San Antonio’s Trinity University is officially one of the state’s elite, earning the No. 3 spot among all Texas schools in WalletHub’s 2026 Best Colleges report. The private institution also ranked as the 13th best university in the South and the No. 62 best university in the country, a three-spot jump from its 2024 ranking.
The experts at the personal finance website analyzed nearly 800 colleges and universities in the U.S. using 30 key metrics, including factors like student-faculty ratios, graduation rates, campus safety, and many more.
Topping the statewide list is Houston’s Rice University, which also ranked No. 9 in the national comparison. The University of Texas at Austin sandwiched itself between the two private universities as the No. 2 best Texas college, and the 58th best college in the U.S.
Trinity was ranked across seven major categories in the report, and scored highly for its faculty resources (No. 41) and student selectivity (No. 82).
Here’s how Trinity ranked among the remaining five categories:
No. 124 – Educational outcomesNo. 125 – Career outcomesNo. 132 – Campus experienceNo. 571 – Cost and financingNo. 654 – Campus safety
U.S. News & World Report says tuition and fees at Trinity University can add up to more than $56,000 per year for in-state students, with the total cost soaring to nearly $71,000 when factoring in the price for housing, food, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses. That likely explains why the university didn’t perform as well in the financial category.
In addition to topping WalletHub’s rankings, Trinity also appeared in Forbes’ annual list of America’s Top Colleges.
Other San Antonio-area universities that landed on WalletHub’s regional list of the best colleges in the South include Texas Lutheran University in Seguin (No. 152), St. Mary’s University (No. 159), University of the Incarnate Word (No. 166), Texas State University in San Marcos (No. 173), and The University of Texas at San Antonio (No. 198).
The 10 best colleges and universities in Texas for 2026 are:
No. 1 – Rice University, HoustonNo. 2 – The University of Texas at AustinNo. 3 – Trinity University, San AntonioNo. 4 – Texas A&M University-College StationNo. 5 – Texas Christian University, Fort WorthNo. 6 – Austin College, ShermanNo. 7 – Southwestern University, GeorgetownNo. 8 – University of DallasNo. 9 – The University of Texas at DallasNo. 10 – University of Houston