Two esteemed educational institutions in Texas, namely the University of Texas (UT) in Austin and Rice University in Houston, have garnered recognition akin to Ivy League standards, as per Forbes. These universities have been lauded for their ability to attract top-tier students and earn acclaim from employers.
This development holds significant promise for Indian international students, particularly considering their substantial enrollment in these Texas institutions. This trend is particularly noteworthy following India's recent ascent as the leading source of international graduate students, surpassing China, as reported by the Open Doors Report.
Forbes employed a meticulous methodology for this assessment. They excluded the traditional Ivy League schools and Ivy-plus institutions, such as Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, and the University of Chicago. Instead, Forbes evaluated schools with a student population of at least 4,000 to ensure fair comparisons between smaller liberal arts colleges and larger research universities. They also considered factors like high standardized test scores and admission rates.
Both UT and Rice University demonstrated their academic prowess and selectivity through their admission statistics. UT boasts an undergraduate population nearing 40,000, with a commendable 31% acceptance rate. Meanwhile, Rice University, with its private status, maintains an undergraduate enrollment just above 4,200 and an impressive acceptance rate of 9%.
In terms of standardized test scores, admitted students at UT achieved an average SAT score of 1370 and an ACT score of 30, while 85% of prospective students submitted these scores for admission. At Rice University, admitted students boasted higher average scores, with an average SAT score of 1540 and an ACT score of 35. Approximately 76% of prospective students submitted these scores as part of their applications.
Rice University has long been regarded as the Ivy League equivalent in the southern region, with an exceptionally low acceptance rate of 8.7%. UT Austin, one of the largest universities nationwide, maintains a respectable acceptance rate of 31% and is ranked 32nd on US News & World Report's list of Best National Universities.
Both institutions have recently faced challenges and controversies, including protests concerning the Israel-Hamas conflict at UT Austin and budgetary decisions impacting diversity initiatives at Rice University.
Forbes' compilation of new Ivy League-caliber schools includes both public and private institutions:
Public Schools: Binghamton University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Florida, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Maryland-College Park, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of Texas-Austin, University of Virginia, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Private Schools: Boston College, Carnegie Mellon University, Emory University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, Rice University, University of Notre Dame, University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University.
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