For the third year in a row, Texas A&M took home first place as the best public university in Texas in The Wall Street Journal’s College Pulse 2026 rankings.
The Wall Street Journal, or WSJ, evaluated public colleges based on student experience, career preparation, learning environment and return on investment. A&M was awarded first in the state and 12th in the nation.
“Placing best in Texas and among the nation’s leading public universities is a badge of honor because it means we’re being recognized not just for our academic and research strengths, but also for the opportunities we create for students to thrive during and after their time at Texas A&M,” Executive Vice President and Provost Alan Sams, Ph.D., said in a news release.
Professor of the Practice Angelique Gammon ‘81, who teaches in the Department of Communication & Journalism, launched and ran her own company for 35 years between her time as student and professor. Gammon accredited much of her real-world success to the hands-on experience provided by A&M.
“It’s the interim space of being a successful magazine publisher and commercial business owner that is the ‘why’ I would answer A&M trained me well,” Gammon said.
Gammon explained that it was not just her classes that prepared her for success, but also her student experience as editor-in-chief of The Battalion, which greatly helped prepare her for managing a large business.
“That was the main driving, motivating factor for me to come back and teach after I sold my company,” Gammon said. “I wanted to help give back in a way that I was made successful through not just my classes, but the experience of being editor of The Battalion … so the whole experience for me is what made me successful, and I came back to teach to try to pass on whatever I might be able to with my students.”
The recognition from WSJ follows A&M’s placement in the U.S. News & World Report 2025-26 rankings, where it climbed to No. 21 among public colleges and No. 13 for Best Value.
A&M also ranked No. 3 among public universities in the nation and No. 1 statewide in a category evaluating students’ transitions into college life.
Gammon praised the university for introductory classes like Hullabaloo U, explaining that while the university offers many organizations and communities to new students, it still recognizes how difficult it can be for students to transition.
Associate Professor of the Practice Tom Burton credited A&M’s positive student experience largely to the lasting traditions and culture of A&M.
“If you haven’t been to other places, it’s hard to understand that not every place does it like this,” Burton said. “ … Third, fourth generation Aggies [come] here to be part of the tradition and the culture, where you say ‘Howdy’ to each other, you are kind to each other. There is a community aspect here that is unique.”
History graduate student and former commanding officer in the Corp of Cadets Jackson Baker points to the Aggie Core Values as a key ingredient in student success, both in the classroom and beyond.
“I think when you come here as a student, you’re geared to think in terms greater than yourself,” Baker said. “ … It makes you want to give back, it makes you want to continue being a part of a place with such a rich history of tradition and care for one another … the university does not forget you, and you don’t forget the university.”
Baker also praised the university for drawing in students from all across the world and inviting them into the Aggie community.
“[A&M is] a place where people from all over the world can come, but sticking to those very basic Core Values,” Baker said.
A&M ranked No. 3 nationally and No. 1 in Texas for Study Abroad, which A&M officially titles Education Abroad. This ranking especially showed its strength in September during the Global Welcome Party at Aggie Park, where thousands attended.
In the United States, A&M has been named the No. 2 most recognized public university, according to American Caldwell’s 2025–2026 Global University Visibility (GUV) Rankings.
Despite the high rankings and public recognition, Gammon explained that she is curious about A&M’s consistent placement in these lists while the average student experience also includes consistent infrastructure issues, such as lack of parking.
“The infrastructure for the size of university that we are absolutely does impact the student experience, not always positively, and so it’s interesting to me that we continue to make these rankings, right?” Gammon said. “ … However, they measure the things that go into that ranking, knowing and acknowledging that we have real, real challenges.”
Despite any hurdles students have faced, the student body has continued to grow substantially over the years, having reached a total enrollment of 72,560 students at the A&M campus in College Station as of Fall 2024.
