Editors’ Note: This feature appears as it was published in the summer 2019 edition of UT Dallas Magazine. Titles or faculty members listed may have changed since that time.
UT Dallas was named the best value public university in Texas, according to rankings released in May of America’s Best Value Colleges 2019 by Forbes.
The list highlights schools with the highest quality and best financial outcomes. UT Dallas is tied for 15th among U.S. public universities and moved up from 61st last year to tied for 31st among public and private U.S. institutions offering four-year degrees.
“While no single metric or ranking can capture the full picture of our dynamic university, this particular ranking speaks highly of our value to students and their families,” UT Dallas President Richard C. Benson said.
Forbes compiled its fourth annual ranking of the 300 Best Value Colleges by comparing data on 645 colleges and universities across all 50 states. The schools were evaluated in six areas: quality, net price, net debt, alumni earnings, timely graduation and access for low-income students.
According to the Forbes website: Colleges and universities are assessed on net price or sticker price for tuition, fees, and room and board minus the grants, scholarships and education tax benefits that students receive. For state schools, in-state tuition is used for the rankings.
Forbes’ methodology also considers average federal debt load per student, timely graduation rate and mid-career alumni earnings sourced from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard and PayScale.
The ranking also takes into account the presence of Pell Grant students, which is considered a plus, as it tends to mean schools are focused on creating opportunities for low-income students.
The only Texas school ranked ahead of UT Dallas was Rice University (No. 21). Other institutions listed in the top 31 included Stanford University (No. 6), Harvard University (No. 7), Duke University (No. 16) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (No. 25).
“Our students are among the smartest and most talented in the nation,” said Dr. Jessica Murphy, dean of undergraduate education at UT Dallas. “I am thrilled to learn that this ranking shows that UT Dallas is giving them the knowledge and tools they need to be successful after graduation.”
In January, UT Dallas was also named on The Princeton Review’s annual list of Best Value Colleges for the seventh consecutive year.
