The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching categorized the University of Houston as a research university with “very high research activity,” the highest classification given to research universities and the equivalent of Tier One status. UH is one of 108 universities cited for this Top Tier designation.

The Princeton Review, the widely known education services company, chose UH for inclusion in its popular annual guidebook, "The Best 376 Colleges: 2012 Edition." Only 15 percent of the nation's colleges reviewed by Princeton Review - and only 8 percent of all colleges nationwide - are included in this guide.

TARU (Top American Research Universities) ranked UH among the Top 50 public research universities in three of the nine performance categories used to measure research strength: National Academy members, endowment assets and annual giving. UH is on the cusp in two other important categories: doctorates granted (ranked 54) and postdoctoral appointees (ranked 55), offering another clear indication of the university’s steady improvement.

UH is one of the great colleges in the nation to work for, according to a new survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education. UH joins 84 other four-year institutions and 26 two-year institutions on the annual list, which recognizes the best practices of elite groups of colleges based on enrollment size.

The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center at UH’s C.T. Bauer College of Business is No. 1 on the list of the Top 25 Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurs, released by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. The program was ranked No. 1 in 2008 and 2010, and No. 2 in 2007 and 2009.

The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine's annual list of the Top 100 colleges for Hispanics ranked UH among the top 20 colleges and universities conferring bachelor’s degrees and doctorates on Hispanic students. This year, UH is ranked 15th for awarding bachelor’s degrees and 16th among those awarding doctorates to Hispanic students. The UH College of Optometry ranked is No.1. The Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture ranked third. The Jack J. Valenti School of Communication is ranked 10th.

For the second consecutive year, UH is listed in The Princeton Review's 2011 Guide to 311 Green Colleges. The guide profiles 308 institutions of higher education in the U.S. and three in Canada that demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.