On the morning of August 18, 2025, the Texas Christian University (TCU) campus in Fort Worth was buzzing with excitement. A record-breaking 13,000 students poured onto the grounds for the first day of classes, including more than 2,700 first-year students—the university’s largest incoming class ever. As the Horned Frogs welcomed these new faces, they did so with an extra spring in their step: TCU had just been named the home of the happiest students in America by The Princeton Review.
Each year, The Princeton Review surveys 170,000 current college students across the country to compile its influential “The Best 391 Colleges” guide. The 2026 edition, released on August 12, ranked TCU as No. 1 for student happiness—a distinction that resonated across campus. But that’s just the start of the accolades. TCU also claimed the top spot for intramural sports popularity, ranked second for quality of life, fourth for most beautiful campus, fifth for athletic facilities, sixth for college dorms, ninth for health services, and tenth for its library.
“When you’re happy, you can be your best,” TCU Chancellor Daniel Pullin told Fort Worth Report. “You work a little bit harder, you put a little bit more effort into it, you do it with the right attitude and you get results.”
That happiness isn’t just a statistic—it’s something students feel the moment they step on campus. Addison Branton, a freshman from Benton, Louisiana, and Eileen Mayorga, from El Paso, met through their shared premed major and membership in the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. “It’s just very easy to find people you connect with because everyone is just so nice,” Branton explained. The sense of community, she said, made the transition to college life far less daunting.
The university’s efforts to foster this environment are intentional. As part of a 10-year strategic plan, TCU aims to increase its enrollment by 5,000 students and add more than 1,000 faculty and staff members. The goal? Grow the university’s reach without sacrificing its tight-knit, supportive culture. “It’s still going to feel like a community, and we’ll do all the things that we’re really great at, and that is connecting students with each other, connecting students with faculty and staff, and connecting them with the Fort Worth community, to continue to do that with just a few more students every year,” said Kathy Cavins-Tull, vice chancellor for student affairs.
Chancellor Pullin emphasized that students will directly benefit from these investments. “We’ve been investing in additional teachers and researchers, more academic counselors, more professional development and career coordinators so our students’ access to one-to-one mentoring and counseling will be at an all-time high,” he said. The university’s commitment to personalized support is designed to ensure that as TCU grows, every student continues to receive the attention and resources they need to thrive.
TCU is also expanding its physical footprint. The Campus Master Plan includes new development along Berry Street, featuring additional student housing and retail shops. Pullin envisions TCU becoming “Fort Worth’s place to be, with retail, entertainment, and shopping, and dining options and a variety of things, to not only come here to learn and live, but to work and to play and to build lifelong relationships.”
For students like psychology sophomore Lily Sturtevant, who came to TCU from Boston, the university’s blend of small-school intimacy and big-school spirit is a major draw. “I just was looking for a school that was smaller sized, but also had big sports and a lot of school spirit,” Sturtevant said. “Coming to TCU, and I saw that here, I was like, this is the dream school that I have been looking for.”
Mia Wolman, a neuroscience junior who transferred from Collin College, echoed this sentiment. “That’s one of my favorite things about TCU so far, is just how happy everybody is,” she said. The sense of joy and camaraderie is palpable, whether in classrooms, residence halls, or cheering on the Horned Frogs at athletic events.
TCU’s achievements haven’t gone unnoticed beyond its own campus. The university recently earned 11 top-10 national rankings from The Princeton Review, including those for happiest students and quality of life. The rankings are based on a broad survey that covers academics, administration, student quality of life, politics, campus life, extracurricular opportunities, and the surrounding city environment.
Of course, TCU isn’t the only North Texas institution making waves. Southern Methodist University (SMU) also appeared in the overall “Best 391 Colleges” list and the regional “Best Southwest” list. According to The Princeton Review, SMU students praise the school’s “strong traditions” and “top academics,” with many highlighting the “phenomenal business school” and a close-knit intellectual community. SMU also earned high marks in separate global and national rankings, including No. 2 for Top Southwest Undergraduate Programs for Video Game Design and No. 3 for Best Public Schools for Internships. Notably, SMU was also ranked No. 10 for happiest students, underscoring a regional trend of student satisfaction.
Other Dallas-Fort Worth area schools also received recognition in various categories, such as entrepreneurship studies, value, and student life. The University of Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas both appeared in multiple lists, reflecting the area’s diverse and vibrant higher education landscape.
But for now, the spotlight is firmly on TCU. The university’s combination of academic rigor, spirited campus life, and a welcoming atmosphere has created a formula for student happiness that others are eager to emulate. As TCU embarks on its ambitious growth plan—expanding both its student body and its role in the Fort Worth community—it’s clear that the Horned Frogs are determined to keep smiling.
With a focus on connection, support, and opportunity, TCU is setting a high bar for what campus life can be. As new and returning students settle into the fall semester, the message from Fort Worth is loud and clear: happiness isn’t just a ranking. It’s a way of life.