The Top 50 Best Colleges in the US is College Raptor’s most prestigious rankings list. Updated annually, these schools are celebrated for their rich histories, stunning campuses, excellent academics, and vibrant student life. The institutions on this list are known for both academic excellence and impressive extracurricular opportunities, making them “dream schools” for students around the world. Use these rankings as a jumping-off point for you to create your own personalized rankings using our college match tool.
Each of these rankings is based on an analysis of data about the school’s selectivity, financial health, graduation rates, student success, and more. We’ve outlined our full methodology here.
| Rank | Institution | Undergraduates | Acceptance Rate | SAT Score | Your Est. Net Price Avg. Net Price | Median Starting Salary | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rice University | 4807 | 8.01 | 1,510 – 1,570 | 23589 | 74900 |
#1
Rice University
|
| 2 | The University of Texas at Austin | 44314 | 22.22 | 1,260 – 1,500 | 17942 | 64600 |
#2
The University of Texas at Austin
|
| 3 | Southern Methodist University | 7545 | 47.64 | 1,360 – 1,500 | 48179 | 65600 |
#3
Southern Methodist University
|
| 4 | Trinity University | 2423 | 24.88 | 1,360 – 1,500 | 32224 | 55400 |
#4
Trinity University
|
| 5 | Texas Christian University | 11152 | 48.09 | 1,170 – 1,370 | 41848 | 61300 |
#5
Texas Christian University
|
| 6 | Texas A&M University-College Station | 60710 | 57.32 | 1,170 – 1,400 | 21437 | 62100 |
#6
Texas A&M University-College Station
|
| 7 | Baylor University | 14183 | 52.22 | 1,230 – 1,420 | 47001 | 56800 |
#7
Baylor University
|
| 8 | The University of Texas at Dallas | 23007 | 69.09 | 1,170 – 1,420 | 14916 | 68700 |
#8
The University of Texas at Dallas
|
| 9 | Southwestern University | 1431 | 43.48 | 1,160 – 1,320 | 32228 | 59000 |
#9
Southwestern University
|
| 10 | Texas Tech University | 34021 | 69.06 | 1,110 – 1,290 | 16919 | 61800 |
Texas Tech University
|
| 11 | University of Houston | 40366 | 75.77 | 1,160 – 1,340 | 14309 | 62900 |
University of Houston
|
| 12 | Austin College | 1181 | 47.68 | 1,110 – 1,320 | 23462 | 56900 |
Austin College
|
| 13 | Abilene Christian University | 5101 | 66.15 | 1,090 – 1,290 | 28760 | 58100 |
Abilene Christian University
|
| 14 | Saint Edward's University | 2499 | 81.42 | 1,000 – 1,260 | 28766 | 58000 |
#14
Saint Edward's University
|
| 15 | LeTourneau University | 2903 | 48.79 | 1,030 – 1,350 | 29799 | 57700 |
#15
LeTourneau University
|
| 16 | University of North Texas | 34414 | 70.89 | 990 – 1,240 | 15965 | 60600 |
University of North Texas
|
| 17 | St. Mary's University | 2330 | 95.08 | 890 – 1,310 | 20412 | 60100 |
St. Mary's University
|
| 18 | University of St Thomas | 3466 | 83.55 | 980 – 1,210 | 20599 | 59900 |
University of St Thomas
|
| 19 | Texas State University | 39353 | 91.18 | 990 – 1,210 | 15716 | 59400 |
Texas State University
|
| 20 | The University of Texas at Tyler | 8219 | 94.85 | 1,020 – 1,220 | 14476 | 63300 |
The University of Texas at Tyler
|
| 21 | Dallas Baptist University | 2938 | 91.31 | 990 – 1,230 | 30057 | 60200 |
Dallas Baptist University
|
| 22 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 31127 | 86.79 | 1,010 – 1,220 | 10959 | 61200 |
The University of Texas at San Antonio
|
| 23 | University of Dallas | 1416 | 73.42 | 1,120 – 1,360 | 29209 | 56800 |
University of Dallas
|
| 24 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 32545 | 79.9 | 1,010 – 1,250 | 13755 | 66900 |
The University of Texas at Arlington
|
| 25 | Sam Houston State University | 17822 | 93.72 | 930 – 1,130 | 14737 | 61800 |
Sam Houston State University
|
| 26 | The University of Texas at El Paso | 22223 | 99.94 | 870 – 1,090 | 9305 | 64800 |
The University of Texas at El Paso
|
| 27 | Houston Christian University | 3277 | 86.45 | 990 – 1,190 | 21282 | 62500 |
Houston Christian University
|
| 28 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 29727 | 92.29 | 870 – 1,090 | 5282 | 60700 |
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
|
| 29 | University of the Incarnate Word | 4651 | 99.47 | 910 – 1,150 | 23363 | 63400 |
University of the Incarnate Word
|
| 30 | University of Houston-Clear Lake | 6029 | 91.73 | 980 – 1,160 | 14059 | 63000 |
University of Houston-Clear Lake
|
| 31 | Schreiner University | 1302 | 92.17 | 970 – 1,170 | 22884 | 60200 |
Schreiner University
|
| 32 | Texas Woman's University | 9962 | 96.58 | 930 – 1,140 | 11636 | 64400 |
Texas Woman's University
|
| 33 | Tarleton State University | 17556 | 53.86 | 1,000 – 1,180 | 16159 | 61600 |
Tarleton State University
|
| 34 | Lubbock Christian University | 1383 | 74.73 | 980 – 1,230 | 24544 | 58100 |
Lubbock Christian University
|
| 35 | Stephen F Austin State University | 9905 | 83.39 | 970 – 1,180 | 14959 | 59700 |
Stephen F Austin State University
|
| 36 | West Texas A & M University | 7110 | 66.81 | 960 – 1,160 | 15572 | 59700 |
West Texas A & M University
|
| 37 | Texas A&M International University | 7210 | 44.37 | 890 – 1,100 | 5644 | 60900 |
Texas A&M International University
|
| 38 | Our Lady of the Lake University | 1108 | 100 | 880 – 1,100 | 16999 | 63100 |
Our Lady of the Lake University
|
| 39 | Angelo State University | 10103 | 79.81 | 940 – 1,170 | 14048 | 58400 |
Angelo State University
|
| 40 | Southwestern Adventist University | 758 | 78.36 | 920 – 1,210 | 20466 | 57400 |
Southwestern Adventist University
|
| 41 | Hardin-Simmons University | 1291 | 86.2 | 1,010 – 1,210 | 19811 | 57600 |
Hardin-Simmons University
|
| 42 | Texas Lutheran University | 1319 | 95.71 | 1,040 – 1,240 | 25119 | 56600 |
Texas Lutheran University
|
| 43 | University of Mary Hardin-Baylor | 2775 | 97.47 | 980 – 1,220 | 27651 | 59500 |
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
|
| 44 | East Texas Baptist University | 1663 | 73.06 | 930 – 1,120 | 25092 | 56800 |
East Texas Baptist University
|
| 45 | Prairie View A & M University | 9022 | 78.36 | 870 – 1,080 | 14448 | 62900 |
Prairie View A & M University
|
| 46 | Nelson University | 1526 | 89.02 | 890 – 1,090 | 22359 | 59800 |
Nelson University
|
| 47 | The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary | 354 | 57.71 | 1,050 – 1,260 | 16497 | 49800 |
The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
|
| 48 | Midwestern State University | 4303 | 93.47 | 910 – 1,110 | 11215 | 60700 |
Midwestern State University
|
| 49 | Lamar University | 8387 | 83.53 | 940 – 1,160 | 9814 | 63000 |
Lamar University
|
| 50 | University of North Texas at Dallas | 2953 | 84.45 | 850 – 1,100 | 7586 | 66900 |
University of North Texas at Dallas
|
| 51 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville | 5386 | 90.92 | 990 – 1,110 | 12812 | 62100 |
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
|
| 52 | McMurry University | 4133 | 89.84 | 960 – 1,170 | 20723 | 58600 |
McMurry University
|
| 53 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 3991 | 96.54 | 920 – 1,140 | 13563 | 65000 |
The University of Texas Permian Basin
|
| 54 | Texas A&M University-Commerce | 9666 | 74.98 | 930 – 1,160 | 12327 | 62000 |
Texas A&M University-Commerce
|
| 55 | Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | 8673 | 91.56 | 980 – 1,200 | 15233 | 61100 |
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
|
| 56 | University of Houston-Downtown | 12441 | 87.9 | 940 – 1,110 | 10832 | 66200 |
University of Houston-Downtown
|
| 57 | Texas Wesleyan University | 1796 | 69.16 | 1,020 – 1,100 | 26416 | 61700 |
Texas Wesleyan University
|
| 58 | Concordia University Texas | 1189 | 91.25 | 860 – 1,120 | 24723 | 62400 |
Concordia University Texas
|
| 59 | Huston-Tillotson University | 1024 | 39.09 | 850 – 1,250 | 20355 | 60400 |
Huston-Tillotson University
|
| 60 | Texas A&M University-Victoria | 2627 | 52.53 | 1,000 – 1,190 | 6754 | 63400 |
Texas A&M University-Victoria
|
| 61 | Texas A&M University-Texarkana | 1994 | 63.54 | 890 – 1,110 | 12747 | 59200 |
#61
Texas A&M University-Texarkana
|
| 62 | Texas A&M University-San Antonio | 6790 | 94.47 | 850 – 1,080 | 11568 | 61700 |
Texas A&M University-San Antonio
|
| 63 | Howard Payne University | 751 | 67.37 | 890 – 1,200 | 25750 | 56800 |
Howard Payne University
|
| 64 | South Texas College | 27431 | 0 | -- | 1844 | 59500 | |
| 65 | Sul Ross State University | 1890 | 98.71 | 910 – 1,130 | 14454 | 60900 |
Sul Ross State University
|
| 66 | Texas Southern University | 6844 | 96.91 | 820 – 1,010 | 13584 | 63300 |
Texas Southern University
|
| 67 | The King's University | 251 | 60.64 | 870 – 1,130 | 13940 | 59000 |
The King's University
|
| 68 | Wiley University | 712 | 100 | -- | 7149 | 59500 |
Wiley University
|
| 69 | Dallas Christian College | 231 | 21.8 | 810 – 1,070 | 24001 | 60900 |
Dallas Christian College
|
| 70 | Paul Quinn College | 620 | 40.28 | 840 – 990 | 12709 | 59600 |
Paul Quinn College
|
| 71 | Wayland Baptist University | 1894 | 54.77 | 900 – 1,120 | 20446 | 64200 |
Wayland Baptist University
|
| 72 | Texas College | 614 | 100 | -- | 10958 | 59600 |
Texas College
|
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
Join thousands of students and parents learning about finding the right college, admissions secrets, scholarships, financial aid, and more.