America's top colleges 2025: Forbes ranks 23 in Texas among top 500

A student rides a bike towards the University of Texas at Austin campus on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 in Austin.
Alyssa Gisselle Olvera/Staff photographer

Austin may be the best college football town in Texas, but another city claims the best college.

In the new 2025 list of America's Top Colleges, Forbes determined the 500 with the best educational, financial and career outcomes for undergraduates across 14 metrics. The ranking included both public and private institutions.

Rice University is No. 12 college in America

The relocated the statue of university founder William Marsh Rice is seen during a rededication ceremony of the Academic Quad on the campus of Rice University, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

Once again, Rice University in Houston was recognized as one of the country's best colleges. Forbes ranked it as No. 12, consistent with similar best colleges lists. As with Niche's analysis, the private institution appeared among Ivy League schools. Rice was given an A+ financial grade, with an average student debt of $10,083 and a median 20-year salary of $150,600.

Joining Rice University in the top 100 of Forbes' list are three Central Texas colleges. And yes — UT Austin was the second-highest Lone Star State institution.

Here are the Texas schools that made the list:

Rank (overall)	Name	City	Type
12	Rice University	Houston	Private not-for-profit
46	University of Texas at Austin	Austin	Public
61	Texas A&M University at College Station	College Station	Public
82	Trinity University	San Antonio	Private not-for-profit
103	Southern Methodist University	Dallas	Private not-for-profit
107	University of Houston	Houston	Public
120	Texas Christian University	Fort Worth	Private not-for-profit
141	University of Texas at Dallas	Dallas	Public
161	Texas Tech University	Lubbock	Public
188	Baylor University	Waco	Private not-for-profit
238	University of North Texas	Denton	Public
246	University of Texas at Arlington	Arlington	Public
293	St. Edward's University	Austin	Private not-for-profit
300	University of Texas at San Antonio	San Antonio	Public
304	Southwestern University	Georgetown	Private not-for-profit
342	University of Houston at Clear Lake	Pasadena	Public
354	University of St. Thomas	Houston	Private not-for-profit
359	University of Texas at El Paso	El Paso	Public
408	Texas State University	San Marcos	Public
419	Austin College	Sherman	Private not-for-profit
422	University of Dallas	Irving	Private not-for-profit
437	Abilene Christian University	Abilene	Private not-for-profit
449	University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley	Edinburg	Public

LIST: America's top 10 colleges

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts
2. Columbia University in New York, New York
3. Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey
4. Stanford University in Stanford, California
5. University of California at Berkeley in Berkeley, California
6. Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts
7. Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts
8. Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland
9. Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut
10. University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania