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2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

26 Ranked Colleges
2,438 Degrees Awarded
$10,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 21,561 people earned their degree in civil engineering, making the major the 45th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, civil engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $60,122 and had an average of $23,807 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 2,438 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,929 and $21,417 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 26 colleges that offered a degree in civil engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent civil engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the civil engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rice University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

Rice also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Rice is $3,437 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Rice University Civil Engineering Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 65 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 383 students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M College Station is $11,454 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University - College Station

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 268 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $7,044 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full ASU - Tempe Civil Engineering Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 256 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $12,203 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at UT Austin

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. OSU is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 76 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, OSU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend OSU is $8,669 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

The University of Texas at Tyler came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UT Tyler is located in Tyler, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Tyler has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $6,797 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at Tyler.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at UT Tyler

#8

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Lubbock, Texas, this large public school awarded 138 degrees to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas Tech, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech University is $12,317 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Texas Tech

The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 110 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UTSA also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $10,516 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio

The University of Texas at El Paso landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in El Paso, Texas, and it awarded 100 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UTEP also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at El Paso is $7,092 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UTEP Civil Engineering Report

#11

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $10,562 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full University of Arizona Civil Engineering Report

#12

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

With a ranking of #12, University of Houston did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 94 degrees to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UH is $10,203 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Civil Engineering at UH

#13

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lamar University is a public institution located in Beaumont, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Lamar University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $9,200 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lamar University.

Full Lamar University Civil Engineering Report

New Mexico State University - Main Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school handed out 52 diplomas to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

NMSU Main Campus also took the #24 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $6,896 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus.

Read more about Civil Engineering at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

With a ranking of #15, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Arlington, Texas, this large public school handed out 243 degrees to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Arlington is $11,811 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington

With a ranking of #16, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Socorro, New Mexico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, New Mexico Tech has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is $10,924 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full New Mexico Tech Civil Engineering Report

#17

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school awarded 47 degrees to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

NAU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for NAU is $9,251 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full NAU Civil Engineering Report

Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. This medium-sized school is located in Kingsville, Texas, and it awarded 113 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M Kingsville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M Kingsville is $11,105 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Texas A&M University - Kingsville Civil Engineering Report

#19

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

With a ranking of #19, West Texas A&M University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. West Texas A&M University is located in Canyon, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, West Texas A&M University has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for West Texas A&M University is $8,730 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full West Texas A&M University Civil Engineering Report

With a ranking of #20, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 97 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma is $16,675 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Oklahoma Civil Engineering Report

#21

Prairie View A & M University

Prairie View, Texas

Prairie View A & M University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Prairie View A & M University is a public institution located in Prairie View, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, PVAMU has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for PVAMU is $12,291 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Prairie View A & M University Civil Engineering Report

#22

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 66 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNM has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $13,242 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Civil Engineering at UNM

#23

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas

Tarleton State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Stephenville, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tarleton, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tarleton State University is $15,604 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Tarleton State University Civil Engineering Report

#24

LeTourneau University

Longview, Texas

LeTourneau University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Longview, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

LETU also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $20,897 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend LETU.

Full LeTourneau University Civil Engineering Report

#25

Texas Southern University

Houston, Texas

Texas Southern University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas Southern University is a medium-sized public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 22 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas Southern University is $19,390 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Texas Southern University Civil Engineering Report

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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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