U.S. News ranks Rice at No. 15

By Hajera Naveed     9/13/22 11:22pm

Rice University ranks No. 15 in the Best National University category by U.S. News and World Report’s 2022-2023 ranking released this week, up from No. 17 in 2021. Rice also ranked No. 3 in Best Undergraduate Teaching and No. 6 in Best Value Schools. 

Rice retained its ranking as the No. 1 university in Texas and tied with Washington University in St. Louis for its No. 15 overall rank. 

President Reginald DesRoches said the increase in ranking is a testament to the outstanding education provided by Rice faculty and the value of the student experience. 

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“It’s noteworthy that what’s known as our ‘peer assessment’ rose slightly, which indicates Rice’s reputation is growing among leaders of other universities,” DesRoches said. “Our goal is to always excel at delivering a high-quality educational experience for our students on all fronts.” 

Notably, Columbia University, which historically surpassed Rice’s ranking, dropped from No. 2 to No. 18 between 2021 and 2022, after a Columbia math professor questioned the data submitted by the university for the ranking. Provost of Columbia Mary Boyce admitted to inaccuracies in the data submitted to U.S. News, in a statement made last Friday. 

“We deeply regret the deficiencies in our prior reporting and are committed to doing better,” Boyce said in her statement.

In late August, Rice was also ranked by Niche.com as No. 6 in the nation’s best universities. Niche also ranked Rice No.1 for students majoring in architecture, sports management, kinesiology and physical therapy. 

Yvonne Romero da Silva, vice president of enrollment, said that interest in Rice has been on a steady increase since announcements of Rice Investment, the new business major, and the school’s overall expansion. 

“I imagine the new rankings from U.S. News and Niche.com will continue to grow prospective students’ interest in  [Rice],” Romero da Silva said.

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