Move over Harvard and Princeton, Forbes has just anointed a fresh crop of academic powerhouses, and two Texas schools have made the cut. The University of Texas at Austin and Houston's Rice University are now standing tall amongst the newly dubbed "New Ivies." In a shake-up to the college prestige pecking order, Forbes rolled out its list of 20 institutions – 10 public, 10 private – that are redefining excellence in higher education.
Forbes crafted the list amidst a backdrop of criticism towards traditional Ivy League schools, citing issues such as controversial admissions policies, grade inflation, and responses to on-campus protests. Texas' own UT Austin burst onto the "Public Ivy" scene, bringing a hefty undergrad population of 39,552 and an acceptance rate of 31%. Not to be outdone, Rice University joined the "New Private Ivies", boasting an acceptance rate of 9%. According to a KVUE report, this list has emerged as a response to growing disenchantment with the old-guard Ivies.
Amidst on-campus protests, including those at UT Austin and Rice involving pro-Palestinian demonstrations, these schools stand out, not just for their social activism but for their academic clout. Forbes sidestepped the original Ivy League schools, along with standouts like Stanford and MIT, to spotlight institutions like the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor and the University of Virginia, alongside Texas' finest. Hiring managers, according to MySA, gave these schools high marks for churning out "smart, driven graduates craved by employers."
Speaking on the inclusion of Rice University in Forbes' select list, Nicole Van Den Heuvel, Executive Director of Rice's Center for Career Development said, "We are delighted to see Rice University recognized as one of America’s producers of great talent." She highlighted the qualities that make their students stand out, noting, "Rice students are adaptable, curious, bright and are solution oriented." Forbes' list is testimony to the changing tides in higher education, where traditional prestige is sharing the stage with broader measures of academic excellence and employer satisfaction.
Representing a new guard of academic elites, these chosen institutions are reshaping the career landscape for future graduates. With an average SAT of 1482 and ACT of 33, students from these "New Ivies" are not just statistically impressive but, they are vetted and extolled by employers for their readiness and rigor. It's out with the old and in with the new as schools like UT Austin and Rice University chart a path that could lead tomorrow's leaders out of the Ivy shadow and into the limelight.
