How North Texas universities fared in new national rankings

The big picture: SMU, TCU, and UT Dallas made the top 10 Texas colleges list.

• SMU and TCU remain the top schools in North Texas, but both dropped in the national rankings.

Details: SMU dropped 17 spots from last year to land in 89th place, while TCU dropped nine spots to take 98th place.

• UT Dallas jumped up 35 spots to earn 115th place, and UT Arlington climbed 62 spots for the 236th spot.
• The University of North Texas went up 24 spots, landing in the 260th spot.

The upshot: TCU, SMU, and UT Dallas all moved up on the list of best-value colleges. TCU now ranks 92nd, SMU ranks 121st, and UT Dallas ranks 166th.

• UT Arlington ranks 26th nationally as a top performer on social mobility for graduating students.

Yes, but: The annual rankings have come under scrutiny in recent years over whether they accurately capture the best schools in each region or discipline.