Global acclaim

4 Dallas-area universities make 2026 list of world’s best schools

SMU ranks No. 136 among best colleges in the U.S.

SMU/Facebook

Four Dallas-Fort Worth universities are in a class of their own, earning spots on a new global ranking of the world's best universities.

The University of Texas at Dallas, University of North Texas, Southern Methodist University, and University of Texas at Arlington are among the top 1,200 schools included in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Eight more schools across Texas make the list.

QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), a London-based provider of higher education data and analytics, compiles the prestigious list each year; the 2026 edition includes more than 1,500 universities from around the world.

Factors used to rank the schools include academic reputation; employer reputation; faculty-student ratio; faculty research; and international research, students, and faculty.

In Texas, University of Texas at Austin lands at No. 1 in the state, No. 20 in the U.S., and No. 68 globally.

Among DFW schools, UTD ranks highest, at No. 85 in the U.S. and No. 597 globally. It's followed by UNT (No. 123 nationally and No. 901-950 globally); and SMU and UTA, which somehow tie for No. 136 nationally and 1,001-12,00 globally.

These same schools have been on a roll in regional, national, and international rankings the past year. In April, they all secured spots on U.S. News & World's Report's list of the best grad schools. SMU was named a top-10 Texas university in WalletHub's 2025 rankings. And SMU and UTD earned top spots in U.S. News' rankings of best colleges for 2025.

In all, 192 U.S. universities made the 2026 QS World University Rankings — the most of any country. Topping the global list is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

“The results show that while U.S. higher education remains the global leader, its dominance is increasingly challenged by fast-rising emerging systems,” says the QS World University Rankings report. “A decade ago, 32 American universities [were] featured in the world’s top 100; today, that number has dropped to 26, and only 11 of these institutions have improved their position this year."

The 12 Texas universities that appear in the QS World University Rankings 2026 list are:

University of Texas at Austin, No. 20 in the U.S. and No. 68 in the world (down from No. 66 last year).
Rice University, No. 29 in the U.S. and No. 119 in the world (up from No. 141 last year).
Texas A&M University, No. 32 in the U.S. and No. 144 in the world (down from No. 154 last year).
University of Houston, No. 80 in the U.S. and No. 556 in the world (up from 651-660 last year).
University of Texas at Dallas, No. 85 in the U.S. and No. 597 in the world (down from 596 last year).
Texas Tech University, No. 104 in the U.S. and No. 731-740 in the world (unchanged from last year).
University of North Texas, No. 123 in the U.S. and No. 901-950 in the world (up from 1,001-1,200 last year)
Baylor University, tied for No. 136 in the U.S. and at No. 1,001-1,200 in the world (unchanged from last year).
Southern Methodist University, tied for No. 136 in the U.S. and at 1,001-1,200 in the world (unchanged from last year).
University of Texas Arlington, tied for No. 136 in the U.S. and at 1,001-1,200 in the world (unchanged from last year).
University of Texas at San Antonio, tied for No. 136 in the U.S. and at 1,001-1,200 in the world (unchanged from last year).
University of Texas at El Paso, No. 172 in the U.S. and at 1,201-1,400 in the world (down from 1,001-1,200 last year).

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do better, texas

New report ranks Texas among the 5 worst states for women in 2026

Woman holding a sign at a protest that states, "Women's rights are human rights"

Photo by Colin Lloyd on Unsplash

Texas is far from the best state for women, according to this study.

The Lone Star State has a lot of work to do to improve its livability for women after being dubbed the fourth worst state for women in 2026.

The ranking comes from WalletHub's annual study that compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on women's economic opportunities, social well-being, health care factors, and overall safety.

The five best states for women this year are Massachusetts (No. 1), District of Columbia (No. 2), Maine (No. 3), Minnesota (No. 4), and Maryland (No. 5).

Texas, on the other hand, ranked No. 48 in 2026, a one-spot drop from 2025's ranking. The three states that performed worse than Texas are Arkansas (No. 49), Oklahoma (No. 50), and Louisiana (No. 51).

Texas came in nearly dead last – 50th – in the report's "economic and social well-being" rank, which analyzed factors such as women's job security, the median earnings for female workers, the share of women living in poverty, high school graduation rates, a "friendliness toward working moms" score, and more.

The state also ranked 44th in the "women's health care and safety" ranking, which assessed the quality of women's hospitals, abortion policies and access, the female uninsured rate, the share of women who were up-to-date on cervical and breast-cancer screenings, suicide rates, the prevalence of rape victimization, the number of women murdered by men, and others.

On a national level, women make up more than half (51 percent) of the country's total population, but women disproportionally account for more than two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers nationwide, WalletHub says. They are also severely underrepresented in Congress; only 26 percent of U.S. Senate seats are held by women, and 29.4 percent in the House of Representatives.

Additionally, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics found 91 percent of rape victims are women and 9 percent are men.

"Despite improvements the U.S. has made over the years, women still lag behind men when it comes to economic prospects, executive positions, and political representation," said WalletHub analyst Milvionne Chery Copeland. "On top of tackling these important issues, the best states for women also ensure that they have access to high-quality health care, receive the same educational opportunities as men, and live in safe communities."

The 10 best states for women in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Massachusetts
No. 2 – District of Columbia
No. 3 – Maine
No. 4 – Minnesota
No. 5 – Maryland
No. 6 – Vermont
No. 7 – Connecticut
No. 8 – Hawaii
No. 9 – New York
No. 10 – Oregon

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