Six Dallas-Fort Worth universities, including Southern Methodist University, were just recognized on Forbes' new annual list of America's Top Colleges.

The ranking highlights 500 colleges and universities throughout the country that "produce successful, high-earning and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, with less student debt." Rankings are determined based on each school's "return on investment," the average student debt, and graduate outcomes.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topped the list this year, followed by Columbia University in New York (No. 2) and Princeton University in New Jersey (No. 3).

Southern Methodist University ranked just outside the top 100 as the the 103rd best college nationwide, and it ranked No. 5 in a Texas-wide comparison. The private Dallas university has a 61 percent acceptance rate and an undergraduate population of more than 7,500 students.

Forbes says the total cost to attend SMU adds up to $86,090 per year, and the university's average grant aid amounts to $36,850. Forbes also found that students graduate with about $14,284 in debt.

"Finance, economics, and accounting are some of the top majors at SMU," the university's profile says. "The university is eager to expand its research prowess, making plans to achieve the “Research One” (R1) status issued by the Carnegie Classification system."

Forbes also touts the university's famous alumni, which include former First Lady Laura Bush, Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, and Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates.

SMU also ranked as Forbes' 21st best university in the South, the 61st best private college, and the 75th best research university.

Here's where DFW's five other top universities landed on Forbes' list of the 500 best American colleges:

• No. 120 – Texas Christian University, Fort Worth
• No. 141 – University of Texas at Dallas
• No. 238 – University of North Texas, Denton
• No. 246 – University of Texas at Arlington
• No. 422 – University of Dallas

"Over the past eight months, President Donald Trump, his administration, and Congressional Republicans have waged financial and cultural war on higher education — freezing research funds, punishing efforts at campus diversity, constricting the flow of foreign students, raising the tax on some college endowments and curbing the generosity of student loan programs," the report says. "Despite this, American colleges are still delivering gold-standard undergraduate education."

The 13 remaining Texas universities that ranked outside the top 100 include:

• No. 107 – University of Houston
• No. 161 – Texas Tech University, Lubbock
• No. 188 – Baylor University, Waco
• No. 293 – St. Edward's University, Austin
• No. 300 – University of Texas at San Antonio
• No. 304 – Southwestern University, Georgetown
• No. 342 – University of Houston, Clear Lake
• No. 354 – University of St. Thomas, Houston
• No. 359 – University of Texas, El Paso
• No. 408 – Texas State University, San Marcos
• No. 419 – Austin College, Sherman
• No. 437 – Abilene Christian University
• No. 449 – University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley