LinkedIn Ranks Rice, SMU, and UT Austin Among top Schools for Career Success
HOUSTON, TX – LinkedIn has released its annual ranking of the 50 best universities for โcareer preparation, with three Texas โinstitutions making the โขlist: Rice University, Southern Methodist University (SMU),โข and The University of Texas at Austin. The ranking, published this week, focuses on โคlong-term career outcomes for alumni, especially in a competitive job market.
“The schools that make this list are those that consistently deliver graduates who โคare accomplished โขover the course of their careers,” LinkedIn โฃNews Editor George Anders told Fortune. “For this list, that meansโ looking at how well a school sets alumni up for โthe long haul.”
Princeton University topped the LinkedIn list, followed by Duke University and the University of โPennsylvania.
Here’s a look atโข the Texas schools included โฃin the ranking:
Rice University boasts aโข tuition of $66,540 and an undergraduate enrollment of 4,800โค students. Graduates find success in technology, business consulting, and higher education, with โฃtop destinations including Houston, the San Francisco Bay area, and New โYork City. Notable skills among rice alumni include MATLAB programming language, engineering design, and data science.
Southern โMethodist University has a tuition of $61,880 and an undergraduate enrollment of 7,285. SMU graduates are heavily recruited into financial services and business consulting, โlanding in โcities like dallas, โNew York City, and Los Angeles. Key skills for SMU alumni include AMPL programming language, Avid iNews content creation system, and dataโ science.
The University โคof texas at Austin โ offers considerably lower โคtuition for in-state students at $10,858 (compared to $42,554 for out-of-state students) and has a large undergraduate enrollment of 42,445. UT Austinโข graduates pursue careers in technology, medical practices, and advertising, primarily in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. Notable โskills include SOLIDWORKS computer-aided design software, architecture, and Avid media Composer video โขeditingโ software.
While no San Antonioโ schools appeared on the linkedin list, local universities have โคrecently received recognition from othre ranking publications. Trinity University and Texas State University were highlighted byโค The Princeton Review’s “The best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition” in mid-August. โLater that โคmonth,โข Trinity and the University of Texas at San Antonio earned high marks onโ Forbes’ annual list of America’s Top Colleges.