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UT Austin is one of America's top colleges in 2025, Forbes says
Only one other Texas university ranked above UT Austin — and you can probably guess which.
Published September 8, 2025 at 10:00am by Alexis Simmerman
A student rides a bike towards the University of Texas at Austin campus on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 in Austin.
Who ever said you had to choose between a football school and one with academic prestige?
The school responsible for Texas' best college football town is also one of the state's best higher education institutions. Hook 'em!
The University of Texas at Austin made the top 10% of a 2025 list of America's Top Colleges. Forbes determined the 500 U.S. colleges with the best educational, financial and career outcomes for undergraduates across 14 metrics. The ranking included both public and private institutions.
UT Austin is No. 2 college in Texas, No. 46 in America
As with Niche's 2025 college rankings, UT Austin earned a respectable spot among the country's best schools. Forbes ranked it No. 46 overall, with the following financials:
- average grant aid: $12,060
- average student debt: $6,066
- median 20-year salary: $141,100
University of Texas students walk through campus on the first day of classes Monday, Aug. 25, 2025.
Consistent with other recent analyses, UT Austin was recognized as one of Texas' top colleges, second only to Rice University in Houston. Other Forbes rankings name it No. 60 for America's best employers by state, No. 39 among research universities, and No. 9 college in the South.
This Texas university ranked among Ivy League colleges on Niche's top 10 best US colleges
23 Texas colleges among America's top 500, 2025
Joining UT Austin and Rice University in the top 100 of Forbes' list are two more Central Texas colleges: Texas A&M University at College Station and Trinity University in San Antonio.
Here are the Texas schools that made the top 500 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 |
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Columbia University in New York, New York
- Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey
- Stanford University in Stanford, California
- University of California at Berkeley in Berkeley, California
- Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts
- Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland
- Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut
- University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania