UT was ranked the second best college in the state and tied for 56th in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report, which announced their 2018 Best Colleges rankings Thursday.
First in state went to Rice University, with an overall national ranking of 14th. Southern Methodist University — previously tied for 56th with UT in last year’s ranking — received third in state and 61st nationally, while Texas A&M University trailed with fourth in state and a 69th overall ranking. The U.S. News ranks colleges and universities based on hundreds of data points and up to 15 measures of academic quality, such as graduation and freshman retention rates.
