Texas Top 15 Universities (Houston, Dallas, Austin: public school, salaries, live in)

[Snort]

University of Dallas is an excellent small, private university.

[doomtomb]

My list

1. Rice
2. UT-Austin
3. TX A&M-College Station
4. Southern Methodist University - DFW holds this school very highly
5. University of Houston - Pretty good school for Houston-area
6. Baylor University - Admissions are pretty easy, program doesn't work students very hard. It's good in pre-med but that's about it. Being pretty generous to even give it #6
7. UT-Dallas - Up and coming school, at the time I was applying for schools hadn't heard much of it but seems to be a successful place.
8. Trinity University - Good liberal arts school
9. Texas Tech - All my friends who graduated here are either unemployed or underemployed. I think it's what you make of it. The opportunities are there but everybody knows it plays second fiddle to UT & A&M
10. Texas Christian University - Pretty OK school.
11. St. Mary's University - (My alma mater) I got into every school I applied to but went here for the financial aid. It turned out to be a great choice, the small atmosphere gave very good professor to student interaction. It's uncommon for such a small school to have an engineering school. It's pretty underrated but everybody I know graduated from here is gainfully employed or working on a PhD at some good schools.
12. UT-Arlington - I've heard good stories and bad stories; mostly that some professors or admins are unhelpful but kind of like a mystery box.
13. University of North Texas - Very average college experience
14. Texas State University - Party school. Very easy to get into, graduate in top half of high school class and you're pretty much guaranteed. Students mostly enjoy the laid back atmosphere of going to class then hitting the river.
15. UT-San Antonio - Pretty much will take anyone. Facilities are pretty good here. Living accomodations not so much.
16. Stephen F Austin
17. Sam Houston State - this was always kind of threatened to me by my parents if I didn't study hard.

[RMFW]

Pretty shocked by how little respect TCU seems to be getting on this thread. There are a lot of people on here who seem to know very little about or who've had very limited (or dated) interaction with that university. If it's not in the top five of your list, you're working with the wrong list.

[doomtomb]

Originally Posted by AT9

Glad this thread is still alive...used to live in TX and now considering returning for law school. Rankings are so subjective, but I think it's better to consider schools on different tiers as opposed to individualized 1, 2, 3, etc. Here's how I would break it down:

Tier 1: UT-Austin, Rice
Tier 2: A&M, SMU, Trinity, Baylor
Tier 3: Tech, UH, UT-Dallas, TCU
Tier 4: The others

Like I said, this is subjective. My breakdown is based on my perception of a school's prestige, personal biases, etc. Of course, depending on your personal goals, price, and individual programs, you may be better off at UTSA than Trinity, UH than Rice, or UT-Dallas than SMU.

This doesn't include every school but I would say this is pretty accurate too

[RMFW]

Originally Posted by doomtomb

This doesn't include every school but I would say this is pretty accurate too

Again, there's no way that TCU would/should be considered "a Tier 3" university. Really interested to hear what people are basing this view on.

[dallasboi]

Originally Posted by RMFW

Again, there's no way that TCU would/should be considered "a Tier 3" university. Really interested to hear what people are basing this view on.

TCU is a very good school. Its kinda overpriced.

[RMFW]

Originally Posted by dallasboi

Its kinda overpriced.

You could probably say they about any private university.

[explorer2014]

Tech and Houston are now tier 1 schools. Baylor is overrated. Education is no different to Tech or Houston in the professional schools but the price is much higher. Baylor probably has better liberal arts but given those programs are dying everywhere, that's not saying much.

UT Dallas is a commuter school with no true college experience. Trinity is great for liberal arts but like Baylor, a bad investment these days.

[979Texan]

Originally Posted by explorer2014

Tech and Houston are now tier 1 schools. Baylor is overrated. Education is no different to Tech or Houston in the professional schools but the price is much higher. Baylor probably has better liberal arts but given those programs are dying everywhere, that's not saying much.

UT Dallas is a commuter school with no true college experience. Trinity is great for liberal arts but like Baylor, a bad investment these days.

Rice, Texas and A&M are the ONLY members of the prestigious Association of American Universities in the state. It is universally acknowledged AAU schools are the only truly "Tier 1" out there. The possible exception might be a school like the University of Nebraska. NU lost their AAU status in the last decade or so. I'd rather go to NU or send my kids to NU than any of the other schools in Texas.

The misleading Tier 1 status that UH has is PURELY for “very high research activity.” This Tier 1 baloney that UH throws around does not have anything to do with the rest of a school's academic prowess. It is nothing more than a marketing ploy.

"Tier 1" does not tell the full tale and serves to trick people into thinking that UH academics have miraculously improved across the board.

In reality, if you aren't going to Rice, Texas or A&M, the majority of college-bound folks should probably go out of state to schools better than the rest of Texas universities.

[DanielWayne]

^^^ True the Tier 1 status is often misleading. And yes there is a big gap between UH and the big 3. But if you stop and take off your burnt orange or maroon sunglasses, you would see that gap is slowly closing. A lot of change is happening at UH right now. Besides, Tech is not a bad school either.