Texas is home to nationally ranked institutions like Rice University, Southern Methodist University, Trinity University and Texas Christian University. The highest ranked college in Texas is Rice University and the top rated public state college is The University of Texas at Austin.

Top universities in Texas, based on the QS World University Rankings® 2018:

• University of Texas at Austin (ranked 67^th in the world)
• Rice University (89^th)
• Texas A&M University (joint 195^th)
• University of Texas at Dallas (421-430*)
• University of Houston (601-650)
• Southern Methodist University (701-750)
• Texas Tech University (701-750)
• Baylor University (801-1000)

Dallas

Once a global symbol of the entire US, thanks to the hit TV series with the city’s name, Dallas is mostly known as the city of cowboys and cheerleaders. It can’t be summed up just by its stereotypes, however; Dallas also boasts the largest arts district in the US and some brilliant museums, as well as tourist-attracting memorials for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Home to the University of Texas at Dallas, as well as the Southern Methodist University, Dallas has a sizeable student population and has plenty to offer.

Houston

Home to another two of the top universities in Texas (Rice University and the University of Houston), Houston is the state’s largest city and the fourth largest in the US. Simultaneously laid-back and high-powered, Houston offers a cultured city scene combined with popular celebrations such as week-long rodeos and barbeque cook-offs. Among our top Texan cities for students, Houston is the closest to the coast, and the famous Bay Area Houston is just a half-hour drive outside of the center. Houston was a new entry in the QS Best Student Cities in 2017 at 92^nd.

Austin 

State capital Austin is renowned for its eclectic community, with tattooed creatives and suited millionaires living in close proximity to each other. The locals revel in Austin’s so called weirdness – you’ll even see bumper stickers, t-shirts and other merchandise bearing the slogan “Keep Austin Weird”.

Local watering holes have a long-held performance culture, famous for launching the careers of the likes of Janis Joplin and Willie Nelson. Today, Austin’s lively music scene means that almost any night of the week you can go to a gig featuring music of almost any genre. The University of Texas at Austin, established just 44 years after the city itself was founded in 1839, continues to play a central role in the city’s life and development.

• Texas was the fifth most affordable US state for international students according to a 2017 report published by Finder.com. The average spend by Texas’ 82,184 international students was US$23,119 a year.
• Population of 28.3 million, only beaten by California as the most populous state
• Almost a third of Texas’s population is Spanish-speaking
• The state has no official language, due to the variety of different tongues found here
• The name Texas derives from a Caddo Indian word meaning allies, which is why the state motto is “friendship” 
• The term “six flags over Texas” refers to the several nations that have ruled over the region
• Texas has the second greatest GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the US, after California
• The list of famous Texans is very impressive – a few examples are former president George W. Bush, singers from Janice Joplin to Beyoncé, actors Woody Harrelson and Renée Zellweger, and comedian Steve Martin.
• The state’s Waggoner Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and, at 520,000 acres, is bigger than the entire country of Mauritius
• There are nearly 250 cities in Texas with a population over 10,000, and 28 with populations over 100,000
• Texan cattle, although in decline in the last few years, still number around 11 million