Top-Ranked Texas Colleges and Universities

Attending college can significantly increase your chances of improving your state in life, especially in terms of career stability and earning potential.

A report from the U.S. Bureau and Labor Statistics revealed that the 2008 unemployment rate was 9.0 percent among those who did not graduate from high school and 5.7 percent among those with only a high school diploma. However, this rate dropped to 3.7 percent among those who had attained an Associate's degree and 2.8 percent among those who attained a Bachelor's degree.

The same report showed that median weekly earnings were only $426 among those who did not graduate from high school and $591 among those with only a high school diploma. In contrast, the median weekly earnings were $736 for those who had attained an Associate's degree and $978 for those who had attained a Bachelor's degree.

Top-Ranked Texas Colleges

Texas is the second largest state in the United States, and as such, offers a long list of well-established, recognized colleges and universities from which to choose.

Every year, U.S. News and World Report releases its "America's Best Colleges" guide, and Texas was proud to have seven colleges and universities ranked on the list.

The top Texas school on the list was Rice University, which ranked 17th among top-tier schools for 2008. In fact, Rice University has been included among U.S. News and World Report's top 20 national universities since the guide began in 1983.

Rice University also is considered a great value for higher education - the institution was included among U.S. News and World Report's top 10 "Great Schools, Great Prices" list for 2008 and was ranked as No. 4 for the best value among private colleges in 2009 by the Princeton Review.

Also making the "America's Best Colleges" list was the University of Texas at Austin, which was ranked 64th on the list. The University of Texas at Austin - the largest institution of the University of Texas System - is home to more than 50,000 students, 2,900 faculty and 21,000 staff members.

The University of Texas at Austin also is considered to be a good value by U.S. News and World Report, which ranked the school at No. 31 on its "Great Schools, Great Prices" list.

The institution also is proud to note that it ranked sixth in the nation for 2007 in producing undergraduate degrees for minority students, according to Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine.

For master's programs, Trinity University was ranked No. 1 by U.S. News and World Report among master's schools in the U.S. western region - it was the institution's 17th consecutive year of receiving this ranking.

Additionally, Trinity University was ranked No. 1 on U.S. News and World Report's "Great Schools, Great Prices" list.

With regard to the size of the school, Trinity University boasts a student-to-faculty ratio of 10-to-1, with an average class size of only 21. In fact, the school was ranked 3rd in the nation for attention from faculty by the Kaplan/Newsweek College Guide.

Just a Glimpse

It is important to note that these tree prestigious institutions offer just a glimpse into the distinctive and diverse higher education opportunities one can find in the great state of Texas.