The University of Texas at Austin is a star student among the top colleges in the U.S.

A new ranking from education information and review platform Niche ranks UT Austin as No. 8 out of the 601 best public colleges in the country — and the very best public school in Texas.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology holds the top spot nationally for overall best college, with Houston's Rice University coming in at No. 6 and UT Austin holding the No. 46 spot. Rice also beat out UT Austin for best overall college in Texas.

UT Austin also ranked highly in other categories, including:

• No. 1 of 70 in best college athletics in Texas (perhaps the data did not include UT football?).
• No. 1 of 43 in best colleges for communications in Texas; No. 7 of 925 nationally.
• No. 1 of 77 in colleges with the best student life in Texas.
• No. 1 of 43 in best colleges for accounting and finance in Texas; No. 7 of 829 nationally.

Here's how other top colleges in Texas stacked up, according to Niche:

• Rice University in Houston, No. 6 in the U.S. and No. 1 in Texas. Rice also ranks sixth on the list of best private colleges in the U.S. and first in Texas.
• Texas A&M University in College Station, No. 75 in the U.S. and No. 3 in Texas.
• Southern Methodist University in Dallas, No. 82 in the U.S. and No. 4 in Texas.
• Trinity University in San Antonio, No. 99 in the U.S. and No. 5 in Texas.
• Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, No. 104 in the U.S. and No. 6 in Texas.
• Texas Tech University in Lubbock, No. 148 in the U.S. and No. 7 in Texas.
• Baylor University in Waco, No. 172 in the U.S. and No. 8 in Texas.
• University of Texas at Dallas, No. 220 in the U.S. and No. 9 in Texas.
• University of Houston, No. 232 in the U.S. and No. 10 in Texas.

To create the college rankings, Niche combines data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education with user input — reviews and ratings from current students, alumni, and parents — in an analysis of factors such as academics, campus, and value for the financial investment. The rankings compare more than 1,000 colleges and universities across the country.

“We know that choosing where to go to college is a major life decision, and we’ve always been committed to helping students and their families make their choice with as much information as possible,” says Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche. “With a mix of comprehensive data and millions of reviews, our 2023 best colleges rankings are a guide to the thousands of excellent institutions across the country.”