The website rated the Honors College as No. 30 in the U.S., marking the third national ranking in a year and first by this publication.

The Honors College at Texas Tech University has been recognized as one of the 2026 50 Best Honors Colleges in the U.S. by College Transitions.

Texas Tech was ranked No. 30 in the College Transitions rankings, placing the university third among universities from Texas and also third among Big 12 Conference schools.

This is the first time Texas Tech has appeared in the College Transitions rankings. In the spring of 2025, the Honors College appeared at No. 17 in the Road2College ranking of Honors Colleges, and this past fall was recognized as one of 11 Honors Colleges featured as a national example by Forbes magazine.

“The Texas Tech Honors College aims to be the premier destination for Honors pedagogy, research and mentorship,” said Jill Hernandez, dean of the Honors College. “The recent national recognition of the work of Honors faculty, staff and students describes what we have always known about Texas Tech: we are a singular as a Research institution for our collaborative care for students, our ability to integrate them into unique experiences they cannot receive anywhere else, and our dedication to developing top scholars into ethical and thought leaders.”

College Transitions brings together a team of college admissions consultants, researchers and former admissions officers to provide data-driven services that help students identify schools that provide the best fit, maximize admissions prospects and help get the most out of the college investment. 

Texas Tech’s Honors College was praised for its small, discussion-based class size, dedicated faculty, priority registration, personalized advising and seminars that foster critical thinking and leadership. Texas Tech was noted for emphasizing research, global learning, interdisciplinary exploration and for providing access to competitive scholarships and unique experiential opportunities. 

The ranking praised Texas Tech’s strategic alignment with high-growth sectors and contributions to the booming economy through such companies as Dell Technologies, ExxonMobil, Microsoft and Oracle, among others. 

College Transitions’ rankings were determined from three general factors:  

Selectivity (35%) considered average placement scores, high school grade point-average, university acceptance rate and percentage of overall students enrolled in the honors program. 
Benefits (50%) rated housing and living opportunities made exclusively to honors students, access to priority registration, undergraduate research offerings, availability of travel and research grants, and support for applications to national and other competitive scholarships/fellowships. 

Rigor (25%) accounts for the number of honors credits enrolled students are required to take, whether a thesis or culminating project is offered and required, and the minimum GPA honors students must maintain to remain in good standing in the program and ultimately graduate with honors.

The full rankings can be found at the College Transitions website.