2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Education in the Southwest Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2019-2020, 310,601 education students received their degree, making the major the 4th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,887 and had an average of $30,244 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 36,145 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,313 and $29,229 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 4,271 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,605 and $16,886 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 39 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
The education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region.
Top 25 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Education in the Southwest Region
Out of the 39 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Navarro College landed the #1 spot on the list. Navarro College is located in Corsicana, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 56 associates’s education degrees to qualified students.
Navarro College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Navarro College is $14,349 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Texas College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region. South Texas College is a public institution located in McAllen, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 396 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
South Texas College also took the #5 spot in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend South Texas College is $1,174 for southwest region associate degree education students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tarrant County College District. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. Tarrant County College District is a large school located in Fort Worth, Texas that handed out 144 associates’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tarrant County College, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tarrant County College District is $5,434 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students.
Out of the 39 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Connors State College landed the #4 spot on the list. CSC is a small school located in Warner, Oklahoma that handed out 144 associates’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
CSC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Connors State College is $10,571 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central New Mexico Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. CNM is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 117 associates’s education degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree education students list, CNM has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CNM is $3,429 for southwest region associate degree education students.
Read more about Education at Central New Mexico Community College
Lone Star College System did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. Lone Star College System is a large public school situated in The Woodlands, Texas. It awarded 269 associates’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
North Harris Montgomery not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,016 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students per year to attend North Harris Montgomery.
San Juan College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Farmington, New Mexico, this medium-sized public school awarded 23 degrees to qualified associates’s education students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SJC, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $6,115 for southwest region associate degree education students per year to attend SJC.
Northern Oklahoma College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. Northern Oklahoma College is located in Tonkawa, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 71 associates’s education degrees to qualified students.
Northern Oklahoma College also made our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Northern Oklahoma College is $7,474 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students.
Austin Community College District came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Austin Community College District is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 100 associates’s education degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Austin Community College District, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $6,861 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students per year to attend Austin Community College District.
Read more about Education at Austin Community College District
San Jacinto Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Pasadena, Texas, this large public school awarded 258 diplomas to qualified associates’s education students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree education students list, San Jacinto College has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jacinto Community College is $8,692 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students.
Amarillo College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #11. Amarillo, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s education degrees to 44 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree education students list, Amarillo College has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Amarillo College is $5,578 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students.
El Paso Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. El Paso Community College is a large public school situated in El Paso, Texas. It awarded 199 associates’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree education students list, El Paso Community College has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $4,594 for southwest region associate degree education students per year to attend El Paso Community College.
Glendale Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. Glendale Community College is a public institution located in Glendale, Arizona. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 42 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Glendale Community College also took the #11 spot in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Glendale Community College is $8,597 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students.
With a ranking of #14, Cochise County Community College District did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. Sierra Vista, Arizona is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s education degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.
Cochise College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $6,228 for southwest region associate degree education students per year to attend Cochise College.
Read full report on Education at Cochise County Community College District
Santa Fe Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Santa Fe Community College is a small school located in Santa Fe, New Mexico that handed out 23 associates’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
SFCC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Santa Fe Community College is $7,020 for southwest region associate degree education students.
Tyler Junior College landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Tyler Junior College is located in Tyler, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 60 associates’s education degrees to qualified students.
Tyler Junior College also took the #22 spot in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tyler Junior College is $9,277 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students.
With a ranking of #18, Arizona Western College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. AWC is a public institution located in Yuma, Arizona. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 39 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at AWC, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona Western College is $10,165 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students.
With a ranking of #19, New Mexico State University - Alamogordo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. Located in Alamogordo, New Mexico, this small public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified associates’s education students in 2019-2020.
NMSU Alamogordo also took the #23 spot in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NMSU Alamogordo is $5,693 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Education at New Mexico State University - Alamogordo
Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology is a public institution located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
OSU Institute of Technology also took the #17 spot in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend OSU Institute of Technology is $6,500 for southwest region associate degree education students.
Read full report on Education at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology
Rio Salado College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #21. Rio Salado College is a fairly large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 21 associates’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree education students list, Rio Salado College has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $9,320 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students per year to attend Rio Salado College.
McLennan Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Waco, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified associates’s education students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for McLennan Community College is $6,752 for southwest region associate degree education students.
San Antonio College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #23. San Antonio College is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 86 associates’s education degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Antonio College, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Education Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Antonio College is $5,882 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Education students.
With a ranking of #24, Pima Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. Pima County Community College District is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 42 associates’s education degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Pima County Community College District is $3,583 for southwest region associate degree education students.
New Mexico State University - Grants ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. New Mexico State University - Grants is a small school located in Grants, New Mexico that handed out 5 associates’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend NMSU Grants is $5,388 for southwest region associate degree education students.
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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