Best universities in Austin

Austin, the capital city of the state of Texas, is known for its live music, history, natural beauty and creative community. Austin is known as the “Live Music Capital of the World“, offering a plethora of music, arts and culture.

The slogan “Keep Austin Weird” emerged recently as an attempt by locals to support independent businesses to maintain the city’s eccentricity and charm. Austin has also been part of the Unesco Creative Cities Network for its efforts in media and the arts.

Every year, the city celebrates its music and culture by putting on events such as the Reggae Festival, Art City Austin, the Kite Festival, Spamarama and Pride.

Austin is home to many lakes and rivers, including Lake Travis and Lady Bird Lake, as well as the Colorado River, McKinney Falls and Barton Springs.

For those interested in history and politics, there’s the Texas Capitol, the Bullock Texas State History Museum and the LBJ Presidential Library. Other attractions include the Circuit of the Americas, Austin Zoo and the Museum of the Weird.

Since the 1990s, Austin has emerged as a hub for business and technology, having several multinational company headquarters based there, such as Google, Apple, Amazon and Whole Foods Market.

Here are the best universities in Austin, according to the Times Higher Education/Wall Street Journal US College Rankings 2021.

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1. University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin was founded in 1883 and is Texas’ leading research university. There are 18 schools and colleges, which offer a range of courses from fine arts to medicine, and engineering to law. The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate and inter­collegial degrees, as well as other special degree programmes.

The university is known for its traditions. One of these centres on the longhorn steer. In 1916, a longhorn from South Texas was brought on to the field during half time of an American football game. There have been 12 longhorn mascots since, dubbed “Bevo”, and the university’s sports teams known as the “Longhorns”.

In line with the city’s arts and music efforts, the university offers a range of opportunities for its students to explore their creativity and artistic imaginations. There are several performance spaces, such as the Bass Concert Hall and McCullough Theatre, as well as exhibition spaces like the Blanton Museum of Art. There’s a variety of student organisations, too, from a cappella to dance.

Students can join a range of clubs and organisations on campus, whether in sports, drama, academia, media or music. Texas Student Television, The Daily Texan, Texas Travesty and KVRX 91.7 FM are all the student media organisations on campus, allowing students to work on their skills to prepare for the world of work. Outlets such as these are also a great opportunity to meet new friends and peers.

The University of Texas at Austin believes in fostering an entrepreneurial spirit, and it has initiated a range of programmes to support students in their ideas. The Longhorn Startup fosters start-up innovation, and the Technology Incubator assists start-ups in competing in local and global markets.

Other support programmes include the Institute, the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship and the Office of Technology Commercialisation.

Notable alumni include the actors Owen Wilson and Matthew McConaughey, former First Lady Laura Bush, as well as singer-­songwriter Janis Joplin, and founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, Michael Dell.

2. St Edward’s University

St Edward’s University is an independent Catholic Holy Cross university in Austin, which was founded in 1885. The university has more than 50 areas of study, which include: accounting, finance, forensic chemistry, Spanish, theatre arts, mathematics and much more. It also offers pre-professional programmes for dentistry, medicine, law, occupational therapy, physical therapy and veterinary sciences.

For those wanting to pursue a career in education, St Edwards also offers teacher education from primary to secondary level.

Every week, the university holds spiritual events: Rosary, Adoration and Sunday Mass to allow students to come together to practice and explore their faith. There is also an event called the Service Break Experience, where students live with a group of peers for a week helping to serve a community in need. Past experiences have supported at-­risk youth groups in Los Angeles and an orphanage in India.

There are many ways students can get involved on campus, from the student government to sporting clubs, music and academic organisations. Club and intramural sports include lacrosse, tennis, soccer, basketball, volleyball, rowing and swimming. There are a number of clubs including accounting club, American Society of Microbiology and Club de Français.

Media clubs also have a large presence on campus, in keeping with Austin’s music and culture legacy, from CABRA, the university’s fashion magazine, to dance and Theatre Troupe. Notable alumni include businesswoman, philanthropist and daughter of former president Lyndon Johnson, Luci Baines Johnson, former professional basketball player Taj McWilliams-Franklin and actor Tim Russ.

Best universities in Austin 2021

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