28 Best Public Policy / Administration schools in Texas

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Texas ranked based on their research performance in Public Policy / Administration. A graph of 254K citations received by 9.58K academic papers made by 28 universities in Texas was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Texas at Austin

Austin

For Public Policy / Administration

#41 in the United States

#44 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Average SAT: 1380
Average ACT: 30
Receiving Aid: 65%

2. Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station

For Public Policy / Administration

#46 in the United States

#50 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Average SAT: 1275
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 74%

3. University of Houston

Houston

For Public Policy / Administration

#70 in the United States

#83 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Average SAT: 1250
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 83%

4. Texas Tech University

Lubbock

For Public Policy / Administration

#110 in the United States

#127 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Average SAT: 1185
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 90%

5. Rice University

Houston

For Public Policy / Administration

#114 in the United States

#132 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $23,589

6. University of North Texas

Denton

For Public Policy / Administration

#122 in the United States

#141 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1105
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 90%

7. Southern Methodist University

Dallas

For Public Policy / Administration

#147 in the United States

#169 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Average SAT: 1415
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $48,179

8. University of Texas at San Antonio

San Antonio

For Public Policy / Administration

#151 in the United States

#173 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1110
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 86%

9. Baylor College of Medicine

Houston

For Public Policy / Administration

#164 in the United States

#188 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Enrollment: 1,774
Male:Female: 40:60
Founded: 1900

10. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston

For Public Policy / Administration

#182 in the United States

#208 in North America

Enrollment: 4,938
Male:Female: 30:70
Founded: 1972

11. University of Texas at Arlington

Arlington

For Public Policy / Administration

#192 in the United States

#218 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1125
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 92%

12. University of Texas at Dallas

Richardson

For Public Policy / Administration

#195 in the United States

#222 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Average SAT: 1285
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 74%

13. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston

For Public Policy / Administration

#207 in the United States

#235 in North America

Enrollment: 359
Male:Female: 22:78
Founded: 1941

14. University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso

For Public Policy / Administration

#226 in the United States

#254 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Average SAT: 970
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 88%

15. Baylor University

Waco

For Public Policy / Administration

#227 in the United States

#255 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Average SAT: 1300
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $47,001

16. Texas State University

San Marcos

For Public Policy / Administration

#230 in the United States

#258 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1090
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 87%

17. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Dallas

For Public Policy / Administration

#239 in the United States

#267 in North America

Enrollment: 2,549
Male:Female: 43:57
Founded: 1943

18. Texas Christian University

Fort Worth

For Public Policy / Administration

#247 in the United States

#275 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 44%
Average SAT: 1245
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $41,848

19. Sam Houston State University

Huntsville

For Public Policy / Administration

#269 in the United States

#301 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1025
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 85%

20. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

San Antonio

For Public Policy / Administration

#270 in the United States

#302 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 3,786
Male:Female: 34:66
Founded: 1959

21. University of Texas Medical Branch

Galveston

For Public Policy / Administration

#311 in the United States

#347 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 3,241
Male:Female: 30:70
Founded: 1891

22. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi

For Public Policy / Administration

#362 in the United States

#401 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1082
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 83%

23. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Edinburg

For Public Policy / Administration

#398 in the United States

#439 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Average SAT: 985
Average ACT: 18
Receiving Aid: 95%

24. Texas Southern University

Houston

For Public Policy / Administration

#408 in the United States

#449 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Average SAT: 900
Average ACT: 17
Receiving Aid: 97%

25. Trinity University

San Antonio

For Public Policy / Administration

#465 in the United States

#512 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 26%
Average SAT: 1420
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $32,224

26. Stephen F Austin State University

Nacogdoches

For Public Policy / Administration

#473 in the United States

#521 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Average SAT: 1070
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 91%

27. Lamar University

Beaumont

For Public Policy / Administration

#476 in the United States

#524 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1035
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 93%

28. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Lubbock

For Public Policy / Administration

#484 in the United States

#534 in North America

Enrollment: 5,098
Male:Female: 24:76
Founded: 1969

Closest to Texas states to learn Public Policy / Administration

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Oklahoma	4	76
Louisiana	6	98
Arkansas	6	118
Kansas	5	56
Mississippi	5	179
Colorado	9	58
Missouri	6	16
Arizona	3	20
Nebraska	4	79
Alabama	8	130
Iowa	5	59
Utah	4	66
Illinois	20	12
Tennessee	11	45
South Dakota	3	318
Kentucky	6	60
Georgia	13	47
Indiana	10	38
Minnesota	10	28
Wisconsin	10	17
Florida	15	32
South Carolina	8	10
North Dakota	2	229
Ohio	17	18
North Carolina	15	9
Michigan	9	4
California	48	1
Idaho	3	163
Virginia	15	31
District of Columbia	6	23
Maryland	11	11
Pennsylvania	24	8
Oregon	7	102
New Jersey	11	24
Washington	6	7
New York	52	6
Connecticut	9	2
Massachusetts	26	3
Rhode Island	4	108
New Hampshire	3	80
Maine	6	203