college ranking news

4 Dallas-area universities excel on 2026 list of best U.S. colleges

SMU was one of four DFW schools to make the list.

Southern Methodist University/Facebook

Four top tier universities in Dallas-Fort Worth were just inducted into a new "hall of fame" list of the best colleges in the U.S. for 2026.

Southern Methodist University, University of Dallas, University of Texas at Dallas, and Fort Worth's Texas Christian University were all praised in education services company The Princeton Review's "The Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition."

Released August 12, the comprehensive guide annually ranks the best universities across 50 categories based on a survey of 170,000 current college students. Survey questions covered topics such as a school's academics and administration, student quality of life, politics, campus life, city/town life, extracurricular opportunities, and social environment.

The Princeton Review did not numerically rank the schools overall, but it does report the top 25 schools (out of the total 391) for each of the 50 different categories. The report also clarifies that while schools did not pay to be included in the guide, they could pay for a "featured" designation. Of the four DFW schools included in the list, the only one that paid to be "featured" was The University of Texas at Dallas.

Southern Methodist University appeared in the overall 391 best colleges list, and it also appeared in the regional "Best Southwest" list. According to the school's profile, SMU students feel like their coursework provides challenges similar to what they would face "in the real world" and professors go above and beyond to help them succeed.

"Thanks to the 'strong traditions' and 'top academics' of Southern Methodist University, graduates-especially those from the 'phenomenal business school'-are well-prepared to make a positive impact on the world," the profile says. "Students praise the academic process, which is filled with 'fun and interesting courses,' and which places students in 'a close-knit community of the intellectually elite.'"

SMU has recently earned praise in a separate 2026 ranking of the best universities in the world, and it scored highly in U.S. News and World Report's lists of the best colleges and top grad schools in 2025.

SMU rival Texas Christian University in Fort Worth earned high marks for having the No. 1 happiest students and highest popularity for intramural sports. The university can also brag about having the second-best quality of life, the fourth most beautiful campus in the U.S., the fifth-best athletic facilities, the sixth-best college dorms, the ninth-best health services, and the 10th best college library. Clearly, there's a lot to like about being a Horned Frog.

"In further accordance with the school's liberal arts ideals, students also cite the thoughtful discussions in their courses: 'Our small class sizes are one of our greatest strengths,'" the school's profile says. "Students speak glowingly of their professors, praising their excellent teaching but also describing strong feelings of camaraderie, especially in the way they feel 'they all will know your name and really get to know you.'"

Here's how the two other DFW schools ranked in Princeton Review's lists:

The University of Texas at Dallas

Best Value Colleges (unranked)
Best in the Southwest (unranked)
Green Colleges (unranked)
The Best 391 Colleges (unranked)
No. 2 – Top Southwest Undergraduate Programs for Video Game Design
No. 3 – Top 20 Best Public Schools for Internships
No. 4 – Top Southwest Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies
No. 25 – Best Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Programs
No. 37 – Top College Programs for Video Game Design
No. 40 – Top 50 Best Value Public Colleges

University of Dallas

Best Value Colleges
Best in the Southwest
The Best 391 Colleges
No. 7 – Most Politically Conservative Students
No. 7 – LGBTQ-Unfriendly (this list measured "how strongly students disagree that their fellow students treat all persons equally, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity/expression")
No. 8 – Most Religious Students
No. 10 – Happiest Students
No. 10 – Professors Get High Marks
No. 17 – Best College Newspaper
No. 20 – Pot's Not Hot (this list ranked colleges with the "least marijuana usage based on ratings from real students about the popularity of marijuana on campus")

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money woes

Texas is no longer the No. 1 most financially distressed state in U.S.

Photo by Image Source/Getty Images

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After spending an unfortunate year as the No. 1 state with the most people in financial distress, Texas has slightly recovered. But the Lone Star State isn't out of the woods yet: it's still among the five most financially distressed states in America for 2026.

According to WalletHub's 2026 report, Texas sits in the No. 4 spot this year, while Kansas, Louisiana, and Florida moved up to become the top three states with the most financially distressed residents.

The personal finance website's experts compared all 50 states based on residents' average credit scores, the share of people with "accounts in distress" (meaning an account that's in forbearance or has deferred payments), the one-year change in bankruptcy filings from March 2025, and search interest indexes for "debt" and "loans."

Despite improving in the overall ranking, the study found Texas has had the fourth-biggest spike in bankruptcy filings nationally from March 2025 to March 2026. Texas residents also have the 10th worst average credit scores in the country, according to the findings.

This is how Texas ranked across the study's six key dimensions, where No. 1 means "most distressed:"

No. 4 – Change in bankruptcy filings from March 2024 to March 2025 rank
No. 5 – Average number of accounts in distress rank
No. 8 – "Loans" search interest index rank
No. 8 – People with accounts in distress rank
No. 12 – Credit score rank
No. 13 – “Debt” search interest index rank

It feels like inflation and affordability are top-of-mind for many Americans over recent years, and uncertainty around the national economy also adds another level of distress. That's especially true for Dallas residents, which were dubbed the fourth most financially distressed people in America earlier in 2026.

"Americans have faced significant financial challenges in recent years, as inflation, shifting unemployment levels, public health emergencies, and natural disasters have made it more difficult for many households to stay on top of their bills," the report said.

The top three states that have the least financially distressed residents are Maine (No. 50), Rhode Island (No. 49), and Hawaii (No. 48).

The top 10 most financially distressed states in America for 2026 are:

No. 1 – Kansas
No. 2 – Lousiana
No. 3 – Florida
No. 4 – Texas
No. 5 – South Carolina
No. 6 – Wyoming
No. 7 – Georgia
No. 8 – California
No. 9 – North Carolina
No. 10 – Kentucky