\n TCU, SMU Rise; UT and A&M Fall | Image by US News & World Report\/Facebook; background Canva <\/p>\n
Texas universities moved sharply in both directions in the latest U.S. News & World Report college rankings released Tuesday, with Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University climbing while the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University lost ground.<\/p>\n
The new 2027 rankings<\/a> place Rice University highest among Texas schools at No. 16 nationally. UT Austin dropped four spots to No. 34, while Texas A&M fell eight places to No. 59.<\/p>\n Closer to home, SMU climbed three positions to No. 85, while TCU jumped seven spots to No. 90.<\/p>\n The rankings were released September 22 amid another change in U.S. News methodology, including greater emphasis on graduates\u2019 earnings within their fields of study.<\/p>\n TCU And SMU Move Up<\/p>\n TCU posted one of the more notable gains among major Texas universities, climbing seven places to No. 90 nationally.<\/p>\n SMU also improved<\/a>, moving three spots to No. 85 and landing in a five-way tie at that position.<\/p>\n The gains give North Texas two universities moving in the opposite direction from several of the state\u2019s best-known public institutions.<\/p>\n The Dallas Express has previously tracked how SMU and TCU perform in state and national rankings.<\/p>\n DX reported in 2023 that both universities placed<\/a> among Texas\u2019 top schools in a WalletHub ranking.<\/p>\n DX also reported that SMU and TCU ranked<\/a> among the state\u2019s leading institutions in Niche\u2019s college rankings, alongside other North Texas universities.<\/p>\n UT Austin And Texas A&M Fall<\/p>\n The latest rankings produced a different result for two of Texas\u2019 flagship public universities.<\/p>\n UT Austin dropped<\/a> four positions to No. 34 nationally, while Texas A&M fell eight spots to No. 59.<\/p>\n Despite the declines, UT Austin remained No. 8 among public universities nationally, while Texas A&M ranked No. 24 among public institutions.<\/p>\n Rice University remained the highest-ranked school in Texas, moving up one spot to No. 16 overall.<\/p>\n Six Texas universities landed in the national top 100.<\/p>\n New Formula Rewards Graduate Earnings<\/p>\n This year\u2019s rankings include a significant methodological change that affected universities across the country.<\/p>\n U.S. News placed greater emphasis<\/a> on how much graduates earn within their respective academic fields, particularly among students who received federal financial aid, MarketWatch reported Tuesday.<\/p>\n The change helped propel Massachusetts Institute of Technology to the No. 1 position nationally, ending Princeton University\u2019s 15-year run at the top of the U.S. News list.<\/p>\n Princeton moved to No. 2, followed by Harvard University at No. 3 and Yale University at No. 4. California Institute of Technology and Stanford University tied for fifth.<\/p>\n The increased emphasis on earnings comes as students and families face growing questions about college costs, debt and whether expensive degrees produce sufficient financial returns.<\/p>\n Rankings Remain Controversial<\/p>\n College rankings remain influential among prospective students and families, but changes in methodology can also produce dramatic year-to-year swings.<\/p>\n