Rice University moves up in 2027 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings

The big picture: The ranking comes amid a major expansion at Rice, where undergraduate enrollment has grown about 25% since 2020 to roughly 5,000 students. The university has also expanded its faculty by about 20% and is investing in new academic, research and residential facilities.

How it works: U.S. News weighs factors including graduation and retention rates, social mobility, post-graduate earnings, faculty resources, and assessments from academic peers.

Zoom in: Rice remains the highest-ranked Texas school. Last year, it also climbed up one spot.

• The University of Houston fell five spots this year and is now tied for No. 137.
• The University of Texas at Austin dropped four spots to No. 34, and Texas A&M dropped eight spots to No. 59.

Zoom out: In a major shakeup, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took the No. 1 spot among national universities, replacing Princeton, which had held the top spot since 2012.