2027 Best Value General Operations Research Schools in the Southwest Region
[General Operations Research](/majors/engineering/operations-research/general-operations-research/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong general operations research education at a price that pays off.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for general operations research students.
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2027 Best Value General Operations Research Schools in the Southwest Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in general operations research, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value General Operations Research Schools
Our analysis ranked Rice University the best value for a degree in general operations research in the Southwest Region. Rice University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Houston. Students from in state pay about $61,247 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for general operations research graduates is $11,904. Early-career general operations research graduates make about $75,299. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 8% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #2 makes Texas A And M University College Station one of the best values for general operations research. Set in the city of College Station, Texas A And M University College Station is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,995, with out-of-state students paying around $40,124. General Operations Research graduates carry a median of $20,031 in student loans. General Operations Research graduates of Texas A And M University College Station earn a median of $64,891 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $20,031 median debt. Texas A And M University College Station admits about 57% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in general operations research will find it at Southern Methodist University, which ranked #3. Southern Methodist University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Dallas. Students from in state pay about $67,040 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for general operations research graduates is $20,500. Soon after graduation, general operations research degree recipients from Southern Methodist University generally make around $72,658. That is a strong return on a $20,500 median debt. Roughly 63% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
