Head of the class

Fort Worth's TCU makes new list of 10 best colleges in Texas for 2027

Texas Christian University cheerleader at a football game

Go Frogs!

TCU - Texas Christian University/Facebook

With early application season in full swing, one local university is racking up new accolades on a new list of the 10 best Texas colleges for 2027.

Fort Worth's Texas Christian University ranked as the 7th best Texas university in WalletHub's annual "College & University Rankings" report, showing DFW students don't have to travel out of state to earn a top-notch degree.

Across town in Dallas, The University of Dallas and University of Texas at Dallas respectively ranked 6th and 10th statewide.

WalletHub analyzed 738 colleges and universities in the U.S. using 30 relevant metrics, including factors like student-faculty ratios, graduation rates, and many more. Universities were ranked nationally, regionally, and across seven key dimensions: student selectivity; cost and financing; faculty resources; campus safety; campus experience; educational outcomes; and career outcomes.

Rice University in Houston claimed the top spot as Texas' No. 1 university for 2027. The Southern Ivy also ranked No. 11 nationwide.

In addition to its high statewide rating, Texas Christian University ranked 45th in the regional comparison of best universities in the South, and appeared 223rd nationally. Across the seven main categories, the university performed best for its education outcomes (No. 83), career outcomes (No. 101), and student selectivity (No. 128).

TCU ranked outside the top 200 in the national categories for campus experience (No. 304), campus safety (No. 374), faculty resources (No. 516), and cost and financing (No. 715).

Elsewhere in Dallas-Fort Worth, Southern Methodist University ranked 288th nationally, Southwestern Adventist University in Keene ranked 454th, the University of North Texas came in 484th, and The University of Texas at Arlington ranked right behind as No. 486.

The DFW schools, including their graduate and online programs, have earned heaps of national and worldwide praise this year from prestigious educational reviewing authorities U.S. News & World Report and Niche.

These are WalletHub's top 10 best colleges and universities in Texas for 2027:

No. 1 – Rice University
No. 2 – Trinity University
No. 3 – The University of Texas at Austin
No. 4 – Texas A&M University-College Station
No. 5 – Southwestern University
No. 6 – University of Dallas
No. 7 – Austin College
No. 8 – Texas Christian University
No. 9 – LeTourneau University
No. 10 – The University of Texas at Dallas

innovation universities rankings wallethub tcu texas christian university fort worth

who needs a raise?

Here's the income needed to be in the top 1 percent in Texas in 2026

Hundred dollar bills, income study, top 1 percent earners in Texas

Photo by Mackenzie Marco on Unsplash

The income needed to be ranked among the top 1 percent of earners in Texas has surged past $800,000 in 2026.

In a state where local billionaires are wealthier than they've ever been, high-earning Texans need to make $73,000 more than they did a year ago if they want to be among the top 1 percent of earners, a new report has revealed.

SmartAsset's latest study analyzed income thresholds for the top 1, 5, and 10 percent of earners in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, using 2022 IRS data for individual tax return filers (the most recent year available), adjusted to 2026 dollars.

Texas has the 11th highest income threshold, with residents needing to make a minimum of $817,158 to be considered among the top 1 percent of earners statewide. In 2025, Texans needed to make about $744,000 to be among the top 1 percent.

For comparison, residents living in the nation's capital must make at least $1.16 million to qualify as top 1 percent earners. The District of Columbia led the nation with the highest income threshold to be a top earner.

To be considered among the top 5 percent of earners in Texas, a resident would need to make $312,671. The income threshold to be considered among the top 10 percent is $210,609.

SmartAsset additionally found that 128,130 Texas residents qualified as top 1 percent earners in 2022. Nationally, the report estimated that fewer than 2 million households earn enough to be considered among the top 1 percent of earners nationwide, but 23 million households rank among the top 10 percent.

"In some places, households can enter the top 1 percent at income levels that fall well below the threshold elsewhere, reflecting an uneven landscape of wages and wealth," the report said.

A separate SmartAsset study that tracked the upper and lower thresholds for middle class households found Fort Worth residents need to make anywhere from $55,002 to $165,006 to maintain their middle class status. But in other North Texas cities, residents can make up to $291,000 — a figure that would place them between the top 5 and 10 percent of earners — and still be labeled "middle class."

The top 10 states with the highest thresholds to be considered in the top 1 percent of earners in the U.S. are:

No. 1 – District of Columbia ($1,156,664)
No. 2 – Connecticut ($1,147,898)
No. 3 – Massachusetts ($1,006,921)
No. 4 – California ($987,325)
No. 5– New Jersey ($969,976)
No. 6 – New York ($959,562)
No. 7 – Florida ($956,449)
No. 8 – Washington ($903,303)
No. 9 – Colorado ($828,772)
No. 10 – Wyoming ($819,014)

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