Global acclaim
San Antonio university joins Texas' best in new global college ranks
UTSA lands at No. 11 in Texas in the new QS World University Rankings.
An elite coterie of 12 Texas schools shows up in a new global ranking of the world's best universities, and the University of Texas at San Antonio is among them. UTSA lands at No. 11 in Texas, No. 136 in the U.S., and between Nos. 1,001 and 1,200 globally in the QS World University Rankings 2026.
QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), a London-based provider of higher education data and analytics, compiles the top universities list each year. The list contains 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.
“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.”
UTSA is on a roll lately, having just made U.S. News & World' Report's list of of the best graduate schools nationwide; and last fall, landing among U.S. News' top 15 best universities in the state for 2025.
Although the QS World University Rankings only provide numerical data, U.S. News' write-ups provide insight into why UTSA continues to receive national — and now international — acclaim. With a relatively low cost, $10,550 in tuition and fees in 2024, UTSA has a 79 percent retention rate among first-year students.
The school is San Antonio's only Tier One University and enjoys positive graduate outcomes, especially for Latino students. 43 percent of its students are the first generation to college, a factor that helped the school earn a No. 44 ranking on U.S. News' list of top performers for social mobility.
And, of course, there are the intangibles. UTSA's main campus is in a booming area of northwest San Antonio, aiding a vibrant collegiate life. UTSA's athletic programs continue to win conference championships and earn playoff berths.
In all, 192 U.S. universities made the list — the most of any country. Topping the global list is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Among Texas schools, the University of Texas at Austin is ranked No. 1 in the state, 20th in the U.S., and 68th in the world.
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).
