A dozen Dallas-Fort Worth universities have made U.S. News and World Report’s just-released list of best schools in the nation for 2026, with Southern Methodist University landing on top in Dallas-Fort Worth.
U.S. News’ prestigious Best Colleges rankings annually compare nearly 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities using 17 metrics that measure “academic quality.” Schools are ranked nationally, regionally, and by specialty.
SMU maintained its status as the 5th best university in Texas, and it moved up three spots to rank No. 88 nationally after slipping into No. 91 last year. SMU is joined in Texas’ top 10 by Texas Christian University in Fort Worth (No. 6) and The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson (No. 7)…