AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin rose to No. 48 in the latest undergraduate ranking of national universities from U.S. News & World Report and ranked highly in business, engineering and new student experience categories.
Among public universities, UT ranks No. 14 and remains the top public university in Texas. Last year, UT rose seven places, ranking No. 49 nationally and No. 15 among public universities.
The U.S. News ranking, one of the most widely referenced measurements of undergraduate programs, is based on 20 factors. Contributing to UT’s overall ranking were its academic reputation and its high selectivity, where UT rose from No. 46 to No. 33 in the country.
The university garnered top 20 rankings in three new specialty categories, ranking No. 14 in the country for first-year student experience, No. 16 for undergraduate research/creative projects, and No. 12 among the country’s “Most Innovative Schools.” All three rankings underscore strong efforts in recent years to improve the undergraduate experience and strengthen student research opportunities.
During the past six years, the university’s four-year graduation rate climbed from 52% to 70%.
The university also earned 18 top 10 placements in business and engineering, the two undergraduate disciplines U.S. News ranks each fall. The McCombs School of Business rose to No. 5 in the country, garnering 10 top 10 specialty rankings, including a repeat at No. 1 in accounting. No other business school had more top 10 ranking programs:
- No. 1 in accounting
- No. 4 in finance
- No. 4 in management
- No. 4 in management information systems
- No. 4 in marketing
- No. 5 in quantitative analysis
- No. 6 in real estate
- No. 7 in insurance
- No. 7 in entrepreneurship
- No. 9 in supply chain and logistics
The Cockrell School of Engineering ranked No. 11 nationally, with 8 top 10 specialties, including the No. 1 program in petroleum engineering:
- No. 1 in petroleum engineering
- No. 4 in chemical engineering
- No. 6 in civil engineering
- No. 7 in aerospace engineering
- No. 7 in environmental engineering
- No. 8 in computer engineering
- No. 10 in electrical engineering
- No. 10 in mechanical engineering
The U.S. News ranking is one of multiple recent rankings to feature UT. UT ranked 18th on Forbes’ list of top 25 public college educations for $30,000 or less and 28th on Money magazine’s list of best colleges for the cost. UT ranks No. 31 globally, according to the Center for World University Rankings (2019-20).
