Rice rises to No. 16 in US News rankings as engineering, business programs climb

Rice University has climbed one spot to No. 16 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings, with the university also earning top 10 recognition for value, undergraduate teaching and student experience.

Rice ranks No. 8 among Best Value Schools and No. 8 for Undergraduate Teaching Programs. The university rose eight spots to No. 9 for Learning Communities.

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The rankings evaluate nearly 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities using up to 17 measures of academic quality and graduate success.

Rice also earned recognition for undergraduate research and student engagement, ranking No. 20 for Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects and No. 24 among the nation’s Most Innovative Schools. The university continued its rise in the Top Performers on Social Mobility category, climbing another 17 places to No. 81. Rice has moved up 103 spots in the category over the past three years.

“Rice’s ranking among the top universities speaks to the extraordinary work happening across our university and our commitment to delivering an exceptional education,” President Reginald DesRoches said. “Our students learn from outstanding faculty, pursue meaningful opportunities inside and outside the classroom, and become part of a close-knit community that supports, challenges and inspires them throughout their time at Rice.”

The U.S. News recognition adds to a growing list of recent accolades for Rice. Earlier this month, the university earned the No. 16 spot in Forbes’ annual America’s Top Colleges rankings. Rice also ranked No. 10 in Niche’s 2027 Best Colleges in America rankings while placing in the top 10 across 18 academic disciplines and university categories. Rice also earned national recognition in The Princeton Review’s 2027 Best Colleges rankings, taking the No. 1 spot for Lots of Race/Class Interaction and placing among the country’s top colleges across measures of community, value and student experience.

“High-impact, experiential learning opportunities are central to the personalized education that Rice offers, and Rice faculty are second to none,” said Amy Dittmar, the Howard Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “I’m pleased to see that, along with the socioeconomic diversity of our campus, reflected in this year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings.”

Engineering and business programs earn national recognition

The George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing rose four spots to No. 17 nationally among undergraduate engineering programs, with several programs earning strong rankings:

• No. 7 Biomedical Engineering, up two spots
• No. 17 Environmental Engineering
• No. 22 Materials Engineering, ranked for the first time
• No. 23 Electrical Engineering, up one spot
• No. 25 Undergraduate Computer Science Programs, up six spots
• No. 26 Chemical Engineering
• No. 27 Mechanical Engineering
• No. 33 Civil Engineering, ranked for the first time

“The continued momentum across our programs demonstrates the breadth of excellence in engineering and computing at Rice,” said Luay Nakhleh, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering and Computing. “We are building on that strength by bringing together exceptional faculty and students to advance discovery, innovation and education across disciplines.”

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Programs in the Virani Undergraduate School of Business also earned national recognition. The undergraduate business major, launched in 2021, rose four spots to No. 20 nationally. The entrepreneurship program climbed four spots to No. 8 — a rise of 23 places over the past three years — while the finance program ranked No. 28.

“The progress of our undergraduate school is especially meaningful given how quickly it has grown and matured,” said Jeff Fleming, interim dean of Rice Business. “The strength of our entrepreneurship ranking, in particular, speaks to a culture that encourages students to turn ideas into action and equips them to lead in a changing business environment.”

Rice’s economics and psychology programs in the School of Social Sciences also earned national recognition, ranking No. 36 and No. 50, respectively.

U.S. News & World Report publishes its Best Colleges rankings annually to provide students and families with comparative information about undergraduate programs across the country. The rankings incorporate a variety of measures, including graduation rates, faculty resources, financial aid, student debt and postgraduate outcomes.

For the full rankings and methodology, visit U.S. News & World Report.