13 best universities in Houston, Texas 2024

Houston is as diverse as any other major city. The foreign students will easily fit into the local multicultural community thanks to the huge number of international students who come all the time. One of the reasons for this influx is the oil and gas industry: many large companies are based in downtown or on the west side of Houston in an area known as the Energy Corridor. Many Britons, Europeans, Australians and Scandinavians live, study and work here.

The metropolitan area, which consists of 9 counties, has dozens of state-approved boarding schools and approximately 200 private schools. Houston offers a full range of educational opportunities for all ages — from kindergartens and preschools to community colleges and highly ranked universities.

More than 40 two-year community colleges and four-year universities are open in the Houston area, including the prestigious Rice University, the University of Houston and nearby Texas A&M University in College Station. Houston colleges and universities annually teach about 430,000 and graduate more than 100,000 students.

• University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center – the cancer center of the University of Texas was founded in 1941 and is an independent healthcare institution within the University of Texas system. Activities include patient care, research, education and prevention. In 1971, MD Anderson became one of the first comprehensive cancer centers in the country. The strength of the institution is the ability to quickly translate scientific knowledge into more advanced cancer treatment methods and prevention strategies. MD Anderson implements one of the largest and most developed cancer prevention programs in the country, conducting research to assess and manage cancer risks through early detection, genetic counseling and clinical intervention, implementing preventive programs that include genetic testing, chemoprophylaxis, behavioral counseling and nutrition counseling. Translational goals are to develop and implement comprehensive evidence-based strategies to achieve measurable, sustainable reduction in the burden of cancer, especially among the low-income.

• Texas Wesleyan University was founded in the American city of Fort Worth, Texas, in 1890. Over the years of successful work, the university has become famous throughout America and abroad thanks to its excellent reputation and international community of students. According to the authoritative publishing house U.S. News & World Report, this higher school was recognized as the best among regional universities in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Texas Wesleyan University consists of five institutions that teach about 30 disciplines with an emphasis on the study of the humanities and social sciences. To date, the university has 31 academic bachelor's degree programs and 5 master's degree programs.

• Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a private, non-profit educational institution founded in 1900 when a small group of dedicated physicians and community leaders founded a medical school in Dallas to improve medical practice in North Texas. Teaching began in 1943 with 131 students. 4 years later, the college moved to a new location – the Roy and Lilly Cullen Building, the first building built in the new Texas Medical Center. In the national American rankings, Baylor Medical College is located at the 118th position. BCM belongs to small educational institutions: it has only about 1,500 students, while 13% of the student community are foreign students. The educational programs of the Medical College include the studying of future doctors at all levels: from initial bachelor's degree to postdoctoral programs. Students work in the field of healthcare, choose scientific activity, continuing their development in the research field on the basis of one of the numerous centers of the college.

• Rice University is a leading research institution with a 300-acre campus that serves as a green oasis in downtown Houston. The university offers more than 50 specialties, ranging from more traditional and popular economics, biochemistry and cell biology to playing the bassoon. Respected schools of Architecture, Business, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural and Social Sciences, as well as the Baker Institute of Public Policy teach 3,708 undergraduate students and 2,374 undergraduates, the ratio of undergraduate students and teachers is 6:1. The residential campus system contributes to the creation of cohesive communities — the university has repeatedly ranked first in quality of life according to the Princeton Review, No. 2 in the category "best value for money" among private universities according to Kiplinger's Personal. The $6.3 billion endowment allows the university to provide generous financial aid packages: Rice allocates $89 million in grants or scholarships per year.

• University of Houston is a public research University, founded in 1927. The University of Houston is regularly included in the top 100 universities in the country and ranks among the top 5% of the best educational institutions in the international ranking. The institution teaches more than 38,500 thousand students, foreign students make up about 10%. There are over 1200 teachers, each applicant has the right to participate in the international exchange program.

Sam Jones

Recruitment Director for Partnership with INTO Universities (Europe and Central Asia)

What are the criteria for evaluating American universities? How accurate is it?

The rankings are different, and therefore the criteria are different. Subtleties are covered such as the academic level of graduates, “retention rate” (how many students complete study programs), social mobility, and the number of recipients of financial aid. The final performance and GPA, academic reputation of students, resources of institutes and faculties, salaries of teachers, the number of doctoral / postdoctoral degrees among teachers (especially for those who are employed full-time at the university) can be taken into account.

They pay attention to the selectivity of students (which applicants scored SAT points, which results they showed in high school), financial indicators per student and the amount of debt of graduates (a common thing: many take out loans for education). Some rankings also use the parameter of academic citation, the intensity of research by the teaching staff. In general, there are more criteria than the rankings themselves!

In general, all admission commissions of the TOP universities in Houston will require the following documents from the foreign students:

• Application for admission to the university (written or electronic)
• Motivation letter (“Why exactly am I worthy to study at this university?”)
• A receipt for payment of the registration fee (usually $ 90– $ 150)
• A school certificate or a report card with grades from a native university, if you have already completed part of the studying course
• A certificate of English proficiency - TOEFL or IELTS
• Sometimes requires SAT or ACT results (exams that high school graduates take in America)
• Translation of a bachelor's degree + an application with grades (if you are going to a master's course)
• Letters of recommendation from teachers, curators, rector, employers, etc. – the more and more diverse, the better.

All documents must be translated into English and notarized when applying in the best universities in Houston.

The cost of educational services varies depending on the ranking of the university. On average, a year of study at a TOP university in Houston will cost about 40 000 – 45 000 dollars. Lesser–known universities provide an opportunity to get an education at a more affordable cost - up to $ 20,000.

International students should add to the declared amount the payment for accommodation, meals and other basic expenses.

For those who are looking for a more profitable way to gain knowledge in the framework of a future profession, there are programs in American community colleges. These educational institutions allow you to get a so-called secondary special education in two academic years. After graduation, the student has the opportunity to enroll immediately in the third year of the university with sufficient academic performance. A year of study at a community college costs about $7,000 - $10,000.

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