by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Education is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 4th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 327,871 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $46,202 and had an average of $24,437 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 39,972 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,451 and $21,446 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region” ranking analyzed 229 colleges that offered a degree in education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular education programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region education students.
Out of the 229 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Canyon University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and it awarded 9,205 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region. Scottsdale, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 1,843 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Phoenix - Arizona. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 1,725 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lamar University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region. Lamar University is located in Beaumont, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,560 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Arizona University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region list. Flagstaff, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 1,318 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. ASU - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,075 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The University of Texas at Arlington came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking. The University of Texas at Arlington is a large school located in Arlington, Texas that handed out 960 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas A&M College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 895 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Texas Tech University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 736 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #10. SHSU is a large public school situated in Huntsville, Texas. It awarded 647 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Education at Sam Houston State University
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #11. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 573 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Education at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this large public school awarded 549 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #13. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 572 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #14, University of North Texas did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region list. UNT is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 511 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Southeastern Oklahoma State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a medium-sized school located in Durant, Oklahoma that handed out 485 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Education at Southeastern Oklahoma State University
University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #16. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 488 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Education at University of New Mexico - Main Campus
Texas State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas State is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 415 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M University - Commerce landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas A&M University - Commerce is a fairly large public school situated in Commerce, Texas. It awarded 373 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #19, South Texas College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region list. South Texas College is located in McAllen, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 352 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #20. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 356 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
San Jacinto Community College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking. San Jacinto College is a large public school situated in Pasadena, Texas. It awarded 337 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Education at San Jacinto Community College
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 396 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Central Oklahoma came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Edmond, Oklahoma is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 333 students in 2020-2021.
University of St. Thomas did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #24. UST is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 315 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
El Centro College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #25. El Centro College is a public institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 306 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Not only did these schools make the top 35 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
