UH making strides in this world ranking]

The Satellite
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As the song went… We’re moving on up!!

UT Austin No. 1 in Texas on QS World University Rankings '26 - CultureMap Austin UT Austin No. 1 in Texas on QS World University Rankings '26 - CultureMap Austin

  • 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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Always good to see progress, but keep in mind this ranking entity is not universally accepted as being reliable.

The reputation surveys have received severe criticism. QS do not reveal the response rates for the survey, but statements from QS indicate that they are very low (2–8 %),[7] which would make the results highly unreliable. Other commentators have pointed at the low validity of the survey, since few people know much about the quality of teaching and research at other institutions but their own.[35][36][37][38][39]

However, the issues extend beyond survey methodology. The QS World University Rankings have been criticised by many for placing too much emphasis on reputation, which receives 50% of the overall score. Some people have expressed concern about the manner in which the academic reputation survey has been carried out.[40]In a report,[41] Peter Wills from the University of Auckland wrote of the THE-QS World University Rankings:

But we note also that this survey establishes its rankings by appealing to university staff, even offering financial enticements to participate (see Appendix II). Staff are likely to feel it is in their greatest interest to rank their own institution more highly than others. This means the results of the survey and any apparent change in ranking are highly questionable, and that a high ranking has no real intrinsic value in any case. We are vehemently opposed to the evaluation of the University according to the outcome of such PR competitions.

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Which rankings are universally accepted as being reliable?

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Go Coogs!

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Good question, and I don’t know that there is an answer. Here are
some of the ones you hear a lot about. Pros and con arguments
can be made for each based upon criteria used and weighting used.
In no particular order:

o Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking
o QS World University Rankings
o Times Higher Education (THE)
o US News and World Report
o The Princeton Review
o Forbes America’s Top Colleges List
o The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

The Carnegie Classification was our first big move into its upper tier for Reasearch Activity. It’s based on research spending among other factors. Their highest tier is now called Research 1 but only requires a paltry spend of $50 million. So you have schools like UH ( >$200million ) lumped in with schools like Baylor that is only 1/3 that. There are now 187 institutions in US with the highest ranking :wink:

http://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-RAD-Public-Data-File.xlsx

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Hey - any ranking that can see thru baylor and smu’s schtick (i think they all see thru tech) has gotta be somewhat reliable.

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