Executive Summary

• UH ranked 176 in the 2021 National University Ranking, an increase of 9 spots from 2020.
• There were 297 institutions ranked in 2021, 5 more institutions compared to 2020.11 This excludes 92 institutions tied for the last ranking spot 298-389. UH ranked in the 35th percentile in 2020 and 38th percentile in 2021.
• UH was ranked among the Top Public Schools (87), Best Value Schools (106), Overall Undergraduate Engineering Programs (79), Top Performers of Social Mobility (48), Best Colleges for Veterans (128), and among the best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs (104).
• UH was listed under the Least Debt of National Universities, on Campus Ethnic Diversity, and on A+ Schools for B Students.
• UH is now exceeding graduation rate expectations as calculated by the USNWR by 2 percentage points.
• UH is #60 for Graduate Indebtedness Rank, a new metric in the 2021 ranking.
• UH ranks #64 for Faculty Compensation Rank, up 32 spots from last year.

2021 U.S. News & World Report Ranking Summary

National Rank and Lists	2020	2021	Change
National Universities Rank	185	176	9
Top Public Schools	92	87	5
Best Value Schools	133	106	27
Undergraduate Business Programs - Overall	90	81	9
Undergraduate Computer Science Programs (New)		104
Overall Undergraduate Engineering Programs	83	79	4
Least Debt of National Universities	Not listed	Listed
Top Performers on Social Mobility	27	48	-21
Campus Ethnic Diversity	Listed	Listed
Best Colleges for Veterans	Not ranked	128
A+ Schools for B Students	Listed	Listed

⊕Interested in how our rank might change using simulated data? Click here to review the 2020 Hanover Ranking Simulator.

UH National University Ranking, 2002 - 2021.

How did we we rank among National Universities in 2021?

This year the U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) ranked 297 institutions among the top National Universities.22 Excluding 92 institutions ranked together at 298-389. There are 5 more institutions ranked this year compared to last year.33 USNWR uses the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s Basic Classification system to identify National Universities.

In the 2020 issue, UH ranked 185. In 2021, UH ranks 176. That’s an improvement of 9 spots since last year.

Relative to other institutions, UH made some improvements as measured by our percentile rank.44 Calculating percentile rank standardizes our relative position in the rank allowing us to compare across years. It involves sorting the institutions by National Rank and identifying their position along a line from 0% to 100%. There are many ties among the ranked institutions. Tied institutions are ranked in the same percentile. For example, Washington State University is ranked 176 alongside UH and 9 other institutions. All 11 institutions are in the 37.5th percentile. This does not include the 92 institutions range-ranked at 298-389 for Issue Year 2021. In the 2020 issue, UH was ranked in the 35th percentile of all 292 institutions ranked. In 2021, UH is ranked in the 38th percentile of all 297 institutions. In other words, 65% of institutions ranked higher than UH in 2020 compared to 62% in 2021. This shows UH improved by 3 percentile points in the 2021 ranking compared to last year.

How are rankings calculated?

There are 17 indicators that factor into the National Ranking listed below.

Ranking Factors, Issue Year 2021.

Ranking Factor	Indicator	2020 Weight	2021 Weight
Graduation and Retention (22%)	Average six-year graduation rate	17.60%	17.60%
	Average first-year retention rate	4.40%	4.40%
Academic Reputation (20%)	Peer Assessment Survey	20%	20%
Faculty Resources (20%)	Class size index	8%	8%
	Faculty compensation	7%	7%
	Percent faculty with terminal degree	3%	3%
	Percent full-time faculty	1%	1%
	Student-faculty ratio	1%	1%
Financial Resources Per Student (10%)	Instructional budget per student	10%	10%
Graduation Rate Performance (8%)	6-yr graduation rate relative to predicted	8%	8%
Student Selectivity (7%)	SAT/ACT Scores	7.75%	5%
	High school class standing top 10%	2.30%	2%
Social Mobility (5%)	Pell grant graduation rates	2.50%	2.50%
	Pell grant graduation rate performance	2.50%	2.50%
Graduate Indebtedness (5%)	Graduate indebtedness total		3%
	Graduate indebtedness proportion with debt		2%
Average Alumni Giving Rate (3%)		5%	3%
Total		100%	100%

USNWR added two new outcome measures pertaining to graduate indebtedness.55 This is in response to the U.S. college debt that stands at $1.6 trillion of outstanding federal and private student debt held by 4 million student borrowers. Schools that ranked the highest had the lowest average amount of debt accrued by their most recent graduates and a relatively small proportion of students graduating with debt compared to other schools.

For nonresponders to U.S. News’ financial aid survey, the College Scorecard’s most recent cohort of institutional median graduate indebtedness was adjusted and used in its place for indebtedness total.

For indebtedness proportion, the College Scorecard’s most recent institutional cohort proportion of undergraduates borrowing was adjusted and used in its place. The indicators that go into this factor are:

1. Graduate indebtedness total: Average amount of accumulated federal loan debt among the 2019 bachelor’s degree graduating class that took out federal loans (weighted 3%).

2. Graduate indebtedness proportion: Percentage of graduates from the 2019 bachelor’s degree graduating class who borrowed federal loans (weighted 2%).

In order to accommodate these new measures, USNWR gave less weight to SAT/ACT scores, high school class standing, and alumni giving rates. The complete ranking methodology for Issue Year 2021 is available here.

How did UH perform along the ranking factors?

The figures below summarize the ranking factor trend for the last ten years for the University of Houston. UH academic reputation has increased from 2.5 in 2011 to 2.9 in 2021. The four-year average six-year graduation rate continues to climb higher and will continue to climb because UH reached 61% as of Fall 2019. In fact, UH is now exceeding graduation rate expectations as calculated by the USNWR by 2 percentage points.66 Predicted Graduation Rate: 59%
Single-Cohort Graduation Rate: 61%

Since 2011, UH’s educational expenditures per student has increased 26% from $17,843 to $22,495. SAT scores at the 25th and 75th percentiles have climbed over the years. Other areas have remained relatively constant including percent of classes with 50+, percent of classes with less than 20 students, and average alumni giving rates to name a few.

The average faculty compensation rate77 Salary data adjusted for regional differences in cost of living using the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities index published May 2020. For nonresponders to the faculty salary question, USNWR used modified federal government faculty salary data as the basis for their estimates. for AY 2019-20 dropped 17% from Issue Year 2020 to Issue Year 2021. However, this year USNWR made an important change in the way faculty compensation is calculated. Issue Year 2021 removes non-salary compensation including benefits from the calculations, which explains why our value for faculty compensation dropped. Faculty salary is weighted at 7% and is the two-year average full-time faculty salaries for assistant, associate, and full professors for 2019-2020 based on definitions from the American Association of University Professors. In fact, UH ranks #64 in Faculty Compensation Rank, up from #96 last year. UH shares this rank with institutions like University of Southern California, University of Denver, University of Georgia, and Illinois Institute of Technology.

How does UH compare to peer institutions?

This year we compare UH to comparable and aspirational peers as identified by a cluster analysis conducted Fall 2019 by the Provost Office.88 Cluster analysis is a set of statistical procedures used to calculate distance between different institutions. This process groups institutions based on how similar they are and distinguishes them from other groups using 34 institutional metrics. Follow this link for more information.. Comparable peers are most similar to UH and belong to the same cluster. Aspirational peers are similar to UH demographically, but outperform UH in graduation rate, endowment, and research expenses.

Comparable Peers	Aspirational Peers
Florida International University	University of California Davis
Georgia State University	University of California Irvine
University of Central Florida	University of California Riverside
University of Illinois at Chicago	University of California San Diego
University of Nevada Las Vegas	University of California Santa Barbara
University of North Texas	University of Texas at Dallas
University of South Florida	Stony Brook University
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at El Paso

The ten-year rank trends above show UH outranks 6 of the 9 comparable peers except for University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, and University of Illinois-Chicago. Most institutions experienced a dip in 2020 rankings due to the change in the Carnegie Classification system used to identify National Universities.99 In December 2018, Carnegie released official updates – called the “2018 update” – to the Basic Classification used for Best Colleges. As a result, about 13% of ranked schools moved into different categories for Issue 2020 compared to Issue 2019, and more schools are added in the National Universities list. See this link under Ranking Categories for more information. Inside Higher Ed Press Release. UH made a 9 spot rebound in 2021 after that significant change.

UH is ranked among the best of many specialized rankings.

USNWR also publishes ranks for specific areas of interest. This year UH is ranked in seven areas:

1. Top Public Schools (87): This ranking is a subset of the National Ranking specific to state schools that are funded in part by tax dollars and subsidies from the state. This year UH ranks #87 in Top Public Schools, up from #92 last year.
2. Best Value Schools (106): To determine which institutions offer the best-values for students, USNWR factors academic quality and cost after accounting for total expenses and financial aid. They calculate academic quality (the overall score from the Best Colleges rankings), percent of all full-time undergraduates receiving need-based scholarships or grants, the average discount from the school’s sticker price for full-time undergraduates, and among full-time undergraduates who received need-based aid, the percentage who also received a grant or scholarship - aid that students don’t have to pay back. For public institutions, each ranking indicator used 2019-2020 out-of-state tuition and the percentage of out-of-state students receiving need-based scholarships or grants. USNWR does this because the Best Value Schools rankings are for comparing colleges across state lines. That withstanding, prospective students will typically pay less in-state than out-of-state for academically comparable public institutions. This year UH ranks #106 for Best Value Schools, up from #133 last year.
3. Undergraduate Business Programs Overall (81): USNWR ranks business programs solely on the judgement of deans and senior faculty members at peer institutions. In spring and early summer 2020, USNWR surveyed two deans and two senior faculty members at each of the 511 business programs accredited by AACSB International. They were asked to rate the quality of all programs with which they were familiar on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished). UH’s peer score was 3.2, placing UH as #81, up from #90 last year. Last year UH’ peer score was 3.1. This place UH among other universities at #81 such as Brandeis University, North Carolina State University, and University of Illinois-Chicago.
4. Overall Doctorate Engineering (79): Similar to Undergraduate Business Programs, engineering programs are ranked solely on the judgement of deans and senior faculty at peer institutions. The respondents were asked to rate each program they were familiar with on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished). Each qualifying engineering school or program was sent two peer assessment surveys. This year UH ranked #79, up four spots from last year. This year’s peer score is 2.7, the same as last year, and puts UH alongside universities such as UC-Riverside, University of Central Florida, University of Illinois-Chicago, UT-Dallas, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Syracuse University.
5. Best Colleges for Veterans (128): UH is newly ranked for this metric for 2021. Schools reported on their enrollment of and benefits for veterans and active-duty service members. UH ranks #128 with 1,150 enrolled veterans.
6. Undergraduate Computer Science Programs (104): New to 2021, these programs are based solely on the judgement of deans and senior faculty members of computer science departments at institutions around the country. UH ranks #104 with a peer score of 2.9. This places UH among other institutions such as Brandeis University, Florida State University, Illinois Institute of Technology, New Jersey Institute of Technology, San Diego State University, and University of North Carolina-Charlotte to name a few.
7. Top Performers on Social Mobility (48): This is the second year USNWR ranks institutions in Social Mobility. This ranking is computed from the two ranking factors assessing graduation rates of Pell-awarded students. Social mobility measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants (those typically from households whose family incomes are less that $50,000 annually). This year UH ranks #48, down 21 pots from last year. We are on par with University of North Texas, UT-San Antonio, University of Florida, and Portland State university, to name a few. Why the difference? The table below shows UH improved in graduating Pell Grant students (58%) this year versus last year. This suggest other institutions made improvements that outperformed UH this time around.

Six-year graduation rates for Pell and Non-Pell students, 2020-2021

Factor	2020	2021
Six-year graduation rate of Pell Grant students	56%	58%
Six-year graduation rate of Non-Pell Grant Students	62%	63%
Difference	6 points	5 points

UH is also mentioned on some specialized lists.

In addition to specialized rankings, UH is mentioned among 3 lists:

1. Least Debt of National Universities: USNWR compiled a list of the schools whose bachelor’s degree grads of 2018 carried the heaviest and lightest debt loads. The data include loans taken out by students from the federal government - private loans, state and local government loans, and loans directly to parents not included. “Median amount of debt” is the 50th percentile amount of cumulative federal borrowing by graduates who incurred debt; it does not reflect all graduates, just those with debt. The median debt for UH is $19,000, placing UH alongside UC-Riverside, UC-Santa Cruz, University of Notre Dame, and University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign to name a few.
2. Campus Ethnic Diversity: To identify institutions where students are most likely to encounter undergraduates from racial or ethnic groups different from their own, USNWR factored in the total proportion of minority students - leaving out international students - and the overall mix of groups. This index measures the probability that any two people chosen at random from a given school are of different races or ethnic groups. UH’s diversity index is 0.73 alongside Georgia State University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, UC-Los Angeles, and UT-Arlington to name a few. There were only 29 institutions listed for ethnic diversity. Based on the diversity index value, UH is listed as #13 of 29.
3. A+ Schools for B Students: To create this list, USNWR takes the the school’s performance in the 2021 edition of the Best Colleges rankings and the average freshman retention rate. All listed schools must first be ranked in the top three-fourths of the National ranking to be eligible. Schools that made the cut had to bring an average of at least 75% of their freshmen back the next fall. Finally, schools had to admit a meaningful proportion of students who didn’t get straight A’s in high school. They also used class standing and scores on SAT or ACT tests.

Conclusion

This year UH’s National University Rank rank jumped to 176, the second highest ranking ever.1111 UH’s highest rank is #171 in Issue Year 2019. UH’s absolute rank has fluctuated over the past three years due to changes in ranking methodology and changes in which institutions qualify as a National University. Despite this, UH continues to succeed in many ranking areas:

• National Universities (+9)
• Best Value Schools (+27)
• Overall Undergraduate Business Programs (+9)
• Top Public Schools (+5)
• Overall Doctorate of Engineering (+4)

UH’s commitment to student success continues to be acknowledge by the USNWR each year. UH continues to be listed among the top universities that graduate the most students with the Least Debt, among the most Ethnically Diverse campuses, and the best value for “B students.” UH was also listed among the top Undergraduate Computer Science Programs, a new listing for 2021.

UH is also committed to fostering strong faculty responsible for every successful student. While the methodology behind this metric changed from last year,1212 Non-salary compensation is no longer considered UH ranks #64 in faculty compensation, up 32 spots from last year. UH’s average faculty compensation for 2019-2020 is more competitive than every comparable peer listed in this report.

While ranking systems and relative positions within them change from year-to-year, there is one constant UH can be proud of as evidenced by the USNWR: continued dedication to student and faculty success.