2022 Best Value Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
Liberal Arts General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 1st of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 559,661 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 78,664 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,829 and $15,343 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 132 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts general studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts General Studies Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
Out of the 132 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, El Centro College landed the #1 spot on the list. El Centro College is a public institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5,589 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
El Centro College also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $3,454 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend El Centro College.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at El Centro College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Austin Community College District. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Austin Community College District is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,547 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Austin Community College District also took the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Austin Community College District is $3,134 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Austin Community College District Liberal Arts General Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Texas College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. South Texas College is located in McAllen, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1,590 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
South Texas College also claimed a top spot on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for South Texas College is $904 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at South Texas College
Out of the 132 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Tarrant County College District landed the #4 spot on the list. Tarrant County College District is located in Fort Worth, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4,575 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tarrant County College, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tarrant County College District is $5,225 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Tarrant County College
Out of the 132 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Houston Community College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 2,851 degrees to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
Houston Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Houston Community College is $4,562 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Houston Community College
Brazosport College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Lake Jackson, Texas, this small public school awarded 306 diplomas to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, BC has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $3,087 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Brazosport College.
Collin County Community College District came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Collin County Community College District is a large school located in McKinney, Texas that handed out 2,763 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Collin County Community College District not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $4,565 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Collin County Community College District.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Collin County Community College District
Central New Mexico Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Central New Mexico Community College is a large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 5,341 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CNM is $2,604 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Pima Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Pima Community College is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,439 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Pima Community College is $2,574 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Pima Community College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #10, Texas A & M University - Central Texas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Killeen, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s liberal arts degrees to 54 students in 2019-2020.
Full Texas A & M University - Central Texas Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #11, Northwest Vista College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwest Vista College is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2,618 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
Northwest Vista College also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $4,355 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwest Vista College.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Northwest Vista College
Central Texas College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Killeen, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s liberal arts degrees to 793 students in 2019-2020.
Central Texas College also took the #24 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Central Texas College is $3,705 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Central Texas College
With a ranking of #13, San Antonio College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Antonio College is a fairly large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 2,142 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Antonio College, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Antonio College is $5,183 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at San Antonio College
Wharton County Junior College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Wharton, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s liberal arts degrees to 324 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,227 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wharton County Junior College.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Wharton County Junior College
Lone Star College System ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in The Woodlands, Texas, and it awarded 5,833 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
North Harris Montgomery also took the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Harris Montgomery is $7,146 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Lone Star College System
College of the Mainland came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. College of the Mainland is a small public school situated in Texas City, Texas. It awarded 269 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for COM is $2,069 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #17, Oklahoma City Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. OCCC is a fairly large school located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that handed out 619 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend OCCC is $5,889 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Oklahoma City Community College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
University of North Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 618 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UNT also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $8,521 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Texas.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #19, El Paso Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. El Paso Community College is a large school located in El Paso, Texas that handed out 1,473 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend El Paso Community College is $3,978 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full El Paso Community College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
North Central Texas College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. North Central Texas College is a public institution located in Gainesville, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 720 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,213 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NCTC.
Full North Central Texas College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
With a ranking of #21, McLennan Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. MCC is a medium-sized public school situated in Waco, Texas. It awarded 839 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for MCC is $5,970 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full McLennan Community College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Midland College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Midland College is a public institution located in Midland, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 266 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Midland College also did well on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Midland College is $4,070 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Midland College
Grayson College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Grayson College is a small public school situated in Denison, Texas. It awarded 208 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,639 for southwest region liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Grayson College.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Grayson College
Central Arizona College landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Central Arizona College is a small public school situated in Coolidge, Arizona. It awarded 620 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Pinal County Community College is $5,597 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Central Arizona College Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Texas Woman’s University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Denton, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 238 degrees to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Texas Woman’s University is $6,706 for Southwest Region Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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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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