Six Dallas-Fort Worth universities, including Texas Christian University, were just recognized on Forbes’ new annual list of America’s Top Colleges.
The ranking highlights 500 colleges and universities throughout the country that “produce successful, high-earning and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, with less student debt.” Rankings are determined based on each school’s “return on investment,” the average student debt, and graduate outcomes.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topped the list this year, followed by Columbia University in New York (No. 2) and Princeton University in New Jersey (No. 3).
Texas Christian University ranked outside the top 100 as the the 120th best college nationwide, and it ranked No. 7 in a Texas-wide comparison. This private university has a 43 percent acceptance rate and an undergraduate population of nearly 11,000 students.
Forbes says the total cost to attend TCU adds up to $77,060 per year, but that figure looks less daunting when potential students consider that the university’s average grant aid amounts to $33,813. Forbes also found that 75 percent of students receive financial aid, and students graduate with about $8,079 in debt on average.
“The school’s 10 colleges offer a wide range of programs, the most popular in business, communications and health professions,” the university’s profile says. “About 40 percent of students study abroad, where program lengths vary from semester-long courses to summer programs spanning just 3-4 weeks.”
Forbes also touts TCU’s football team that has won 18 Big 12 Conferences since it joined the conference in 2012.
TCU also ranked as Forbes’ 28th best university in the South, the 71st best private college, and the 87th best research university.
Here’s where DFW’s five other top universities landed on Forbes’ list of the 500 best American colleges:
- No. 103 – Southern Methodist University
- No. 141 – University of Texas, Dallas
- No. 238 – University of North Texas, Denton
- No. 246 – University of Texas, Arlington
- No. 422 – University of Dallas
Only four Texas universities made it among the top 100 best American colleges: Rice University in Houston (No. 12), the University of Texas at Austin (No. 46), Texas A&M University in College Station (No. 61), and Trinity University in San Antonio (No. 82).
The report’s author wrote that it would be an understatement to say that 2025 has been a “rough year for American colleges.”
“Over the past eight months, President Donald Trump, his administration, and Congressional Republicans have waged financial and cultural war on higher education — freezing research funds, punishing efforts at campus diversity, constricting the flow of foreign students, raising the tax on some college endowments and curbing the generosity of student loan programs,” the report says. “Despite this, American colleges are still delivering gold-standard undergraduate education.”
The 13 remaining Texas universities that ranked outside the top 100 include:
- No. 107 – University of Houston
- No. 161 – Texas Tech University, Lubbock
- No. 188 – Baylor University, Waco
- No. 293 – St. Edward’s University, Austin
- No. 300 – University of Texas at San Antonio
- No. 304 – Southwestern University, Georgetown
- No. 342 – University of Houston, Clear Lake
- No. 354 – University of St. Thomas, Houston
- No. 359 – University of Texas, El Paso
- No. 408 – Texas State University, San Marcos
- No. 419 – Austin College, Sherman
- No. 437 – Abilene Christian University
- No. 449 – University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley