Horns Up
University of Texas at Austin ranks among the best colleges in the world
University of Texas Longhorns may not climb the football rankings any time soon, but students and alumni can still take pride in the fact that the university stands with the best when it comes to academics. (Which they may remember as the real reason they went to college in the first place.)
In the 2013 Center for World University Rankings, UT Austin ranks No. 26 among the world’s top 100 universities and No. 7 among U.S. public universities.
UT Austin ranks No. 26 among the world’s top 100 universities.
Located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Center for World University Rankings bases its numbers on a series of criteria that includes publications by faculty, influence, citations of faculty research and — of a vital interest to recent Longhorn grads — the employment of graduates.
UT Austin president Bill Powers believes the rankings bolster the university's strategy of emphasizing professor quality.
"This illustrates how important attracting and retaining top faculty is beyond the primary benefit of having great teachers and researchers," Powers said. "Faculty quality drives rankings; rankings build reputation; and a rising reputation attracts students, professors and staff of an ever higher quality."
In addition to those worldwide rankings, UT made another prominent list. The 2014 Fiske Guide to Colleges listed UT as one of the “Best Buys in Higher Education,” which includes a select group of colleges that are noted for quality academic offerings along with affordable costs. UT was among 21 public and 20 private colleges, including Texas A&M University, Rice University and Trinity University.
However, terms like “best buys” and “affordability” may not hold much weight given the U.S. Congress' trouble trying to solve the issue of higher student loan rates.
Even with the rising cost of education, it’s still good for alumni to know that they made the right choice among Texas colleges. The eyes of Texas, it seems, are still upon you.
