Back-to-school time means back-to-college-rankings time, and 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 (same as 2021), Fort Worth's Texas Christian University ranked No. 6 (same as 2021), and University of Texas at Dallas landed at No. 9 (up one spot from No. 10 in 2021).

Once again, Houston's Rice University was named the best school in Texas (and sixth best in the United States, up from No. 7 last year).

The complete top 10 in Texas (with national rankings included) looks like this:

1. Rice University, No. 6 in U.S.
2. University of Texas at Austin, No. 46 in the U.S. UT also ranks eighth on the list of best public colleges in the U.S. and first in Texas.
3. Texas A&M University in College Station, No. 75 in the U.S.
4. Southern Methodist University in Dallas, No. 82 in the U.S.
5. Trinity University in San Antonio, No. 99 in the U.S.
6. Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, No. 104 in the U.S.
7. Texas Tech University in Lubbock, No. 148 in the U.S.
8. Baylor University in Waco, No. 172 in the U.S.
9. University of Texas at Dallas, No. 220 in the U.S.
10. University of Houston, No. 232 in the U.S.

Proving that the Mustangs can pony up and then get down to work, SMU earned an A+ in both "Party Scene" and Academics. It also earned an A+ in Campus, A in Athletics, A- in Diversity, and A- in Value. Find the school's complete ranking here.

Crosstown rival TCU earned an A (behind SMU's A+) in Academics and Party Scene. It did, however, get an A+ for Campus, A in Athletics, A- for Diversity, and B+ for Value. Find its whole report card here.

University of Texas at Dallas' highest grade was an A, in the category of Diversity. It earned an A- in Academics and Value; B- in Campus, and a C in both Party Scene and Athletics. Complete rankings are here.

The rankings compare more than 1,000 colleges and universities across the country.

“We know that choosing where to go to college is a major life decision, and we’ve always been committed to helping students and their families make their choice with as much information as possible,” says Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche. “With a mix of comprehensive data and millions of reviews, our 2023 best colleges rankings are a guide to the thousands of excellent institutions across the country.”

So, what is the best college in the United States this year? The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston holds the top spot nationally.