Ranking It

An Owls Hoot: Rice University dominates prestigious best college rankings, including a huge No. 1 spot

There must be something in the water at Rice University or maybe the Owls have discovered the key to happiness and just haven't shared it yet. Yes, Houston's version of an Ivy League-level school is once again dominating Princeton Review's prestigious college rankings.

The Princeton Review surveyed students at the 378 top colleges about the quality of the academics, students and teachers at their school as well as the campus life and the social scene.

Rice ranked in nine out of the 62 categories. After losing the No. 1 spot for "Best Quality of Life" to Bowdoin College last year, Rice reclaimed its recently customary top position. The school also took second in the "Happiest Students" rankings, a slight slip from the No. 1 spot the university held in the category the last two years.

Houston's version of an Ivy League-level school is once again dominating the rankings.

Following Claremont McKenna College and Bowdoin College, Rice is No. 3 in the "Best-Run Colleges" ratings. The school is No. 5 in the "Great Financial Aid" category.

Rice also ranked among the Top 20 schools for "Best Health Services," "Lots of Race/Class Interaction," "Town-Gown Relations are Great" and "Best Athletic Facilities."

Princeton Review ranked the University of Texas among the Top 20 party schools.

Rice University was ranked in nine out of the 62 categories in The 2014 edition of The Princeton Review's 378 Best Colleges.

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Photo by Jeff Fitlow Rice University

Rice University was ranked in nine out of the 62 categories in The 2014 edition of The Princeton Review's 378 Best Colleges.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”