(NEXSTAR) – As high school seniors across the country start their final year before graduation, Niche.com released its annual ranking of the best U.S. colleges and universities for 2026.

The Pittsburgh-based education research platform says the rankings are designed to “help students identify institutions that best match their academic goals, personal values, budgets, and campus preferences.”

Rice University takes the top spot for the second year in a row for the state of Texas. The university also ranked as the 10th best school in the entire country, according to Niche

See the Top 20 schools below:

See the full ranking on the Niche.com site.

The methodology behind the ranking includes data from the Department of Education and National Science Foundation; enrollment, graduation and al

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