Austin residents have long taken price in the fact that the city offers numerous educational opportunities to its residents. The fact that the University of Texas was recently ranked as the 45th best school in the country by U.S. News & World Report, however, gives residents even more reason to celebrate the educational opportunities that are available to them.
A number of factors were taken into consideration when ranking the top schools in the country. These included:
• Alumni giving
• Difference between predicated and actual graduation rates
• Faculty resources
• Financial resources
• Graduation rates
• High school counselor ratings
• Retention rates
• Student selectivity
• Undergraduate academic reputation
With a total of 100 points possible in the system developed for this particular study, the University of Texas earned 59. Some of the reasons the university earned such high rankings included the school’s admissions selectivity and the fact that it is located in a city with one of the “best city atmospheres for students.” The fact that the university has more than 900 clubs and 50 fraternities and sororities also helped it earn high marks, as did the fact that it is home to some of the most highly regarded graduate and undergraduate programs in the country.
Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania took the top five spots, with Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania tying for the fifth position. Other Texas schools that made the list include:
• Rice University (Number 17 with a score of 82)
• Southern Methodist (Number 56 with a score of 53)
• Texas A&M University (Number 63 with a score of 52)
• Baylor University (Number 79 with a score of 47)
• Texas Christian University (Number 99 with a score of 42)
• University of Texas-Dallas (Number 143 with a score of 32)
• Texas Tech University (Number 159 with a score of 28)
In all, 262 schools were included in the list.
Interestingly, in related news, the University of Texas was recently granted two grants from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board totaling $490,000. Approximately $400,000 of this grant is to be used for an initiative that is meant to improve college readiness as well as developmental education by providing the funding needed for students to participate in a summer bridge program, unique learning communities and non-course-based remediation options.
“By developing and testing innovative approaches to developmental education, we can positively impact the future success of not only University of Texas at Austin students, but students across the state,” said Dr. Cassandre Alvarado, who is the co-director of the grant as well as the assistant dean, in an Austin Biz Journals article.
As one of only nine schools participating in the study, this initiative only further demonstrates why the University of Texas was ranked so highly by U.S. News & World Report on its list of the nation’s best schools.