The University of Texas at Austin has been ranked second in the nation in the 2025 college rankings released by the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal. The ranking evaluates 100 leading public and private universities across the United States.
The methodology for these rankings assesses how well universities prepare students for future success, while also considering academic standards, institutional integrity, viewpoint diversity, and campus culture. The evaluation is based on 68 different factors grouped into four main categories: Leadership Quality, Educational Experience, Student Experience, and Outcomes.
UT Austin placed second specifically in Leadership Quality, which includes criteria such as protection of free speech. The university also performed strongly in the Outcomes category, which looks at the educational and career value provided to students and how quickly graduates can recover their investment in a degree.
“While national rankings will never define us as an institution, they do reflect the world-class quality of our faculty and students and the excellence and rigor of our academic mission,” said William Inboden, executive vice president and provost. “At UT, we provide an unmatched educational and social experience for our students as we prepare them for both professional success and citizenship. We are honored that this ranking recognizes that and much more.”
Additional strengths contributing to UT Austin’s overall performance include top-10 placements in subcategories such as alumni network impact, faculty teaching quality, and student social life.
More details about the 2025 rankings are available at collegerankings.city-journal.org/rankings.
