Report card

3 Dallas-Fort Worth universities earn pomp and prestige on new list of top Texas schools

These students look like they're having a pretty good time at SMU.

Back-to-school time is a fine time for new college rankings, and — oh look, here they are.

Neighborhood review site Niche.com has just released this year's college rankings, which rely on U.S. Department of Education data coupled with reviews from current students, alumni, and parents to judge American colleges on 12 factors, including academics, campus, dorm life, and professors.

In results that look strikingly similar to last year's list, three Dallas-Fort Worth universities have made the grade among top 10 Texas schools this year.

Southern Methodist University came in at No. 4, Fort Worth's Texas Christian University ranked No. 6, and University of Texas — Dallas just barely made the cut, at No. 10.

Once again, Houston's Rice University was named the best school in Texas (and seventh best in the United States). The complete top 10 in Texas looks like this:

Rice University
University of Texas — Austin
Texas A&M University
Southern Methodist University
Trinity University
Texas Christian University
Baylor University
LeTourneau University
Texas Tech University
University of Texas — Dallas

SMU earned high marks nationally in some very specific categories, such as Best Christian Colleges in America (No. 5 of 364) but also Top Party Schools in America (No. 22 of 1,612). Complete rankings are here.

TCU earns No. 8 in the Best Christian Colleges in America ranking, and No. 11 for Best College Campuses (out of 1,419). Complete rankings here.

UTD scored highest in the categories of Best Colleges for Information Technology in America (No. 10 of 238) and Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance (No. 41 of 814). Complete rankings here.

Further down the best-in-Texas list, University of North Texas in Denton came in at No. 16, University of Texas at Arlington snagged No. 22, Texas Woman's University in Denton ranked No. 32, Dallas Baptist University landed at No. 33, and Fort Worth's Texas Wesleyan ranked No. 41.

Another list of interest for incoming freshmen is Niche’s ranking of 2022 Colleges with the Best Student Life in Texas. Top-ranked colleges have a positive, fun, and friendly student culture and a vibrant campus community, per Niche. No surprise here, both SMU and TCU made the top-5 list (although Mustangs will argue the placement is rearranged):

University of Texas - Austin
Rice University
Texas A&M University
Texas Christian University
Southern Methodist University

Which are the best universities in the country this year? Here’s Niche.com’s new report card for the country’s 10 best colleges, which features just one in Texas:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Rice University
Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Dartmouth College

colleges bests rankings lists

Weed News

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Dallas over decriminalization of marijuana

Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife

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The City of Dallas has been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for its efforts to decriminalize marijuana.

According to a release, Paxton has sued the city for adopting a city charter amendment that would decriminalize marijuana-related offenses and prohibit police from enforcing Texas law.

That amendment was Proposition R, or Dallas Freedom Act, which decriminalizes possession of four ounces of marijuana or less. Voters passed the amendment in the November 5 election, with 67 percent voting in favor.

The lawsuit, filed against the Dallas City Council, alleges that Proposition R is unconstitutional and violates Texas drug laws criminalizing any amount of marijuana.

Paxton says that cities can't "pick and choose which state laws to follow." He's proposing a permanent injunction to stop Proposition R from going into effect.

"The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them," says Paxton in a statement. "This is a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution, and any city that tries to constrain police in this fashion will be met swiftly with a lawsuit by my office.”

Before the recent election, possession of two to four ounces of marijuana could result in a punishment of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Ground Game Texas, the activist nonprofit that has also helped get marijuana decriminalization on the ballot in elections across Texas, first got the issue on the ballot in July with the necessary 50,000 signatures.

Dallas is not the only city to be sued; Paxton also filed lawsuits against five other cities in Austin, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and San Marcos in January for their ballots and policies decriminalizing marijuana.

Both Austin and San Marcos had a judge overturn their cases, according to a FOX 4 report.

marijuana