2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2019-2020, 48,831 people earned their degree in economics, making the major the 18th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,295 and had an average of $21,978 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 2,902 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,669 and $20,712 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,397 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 28 colleges that offered a degree in economics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent economics 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 economics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 26 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Economics (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Rice did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Rice University is $3,437 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #2 spot on the list. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.
UT Rio Grande Valley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #3 spot on the list. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 276 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Texas A&M College Station has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - College Station is $11,454 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.
Full Texas A&M University - College Station Economics Report
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 Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 273 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $7,044 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 450 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Austin has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $12,203 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Economics at The University of Texas at Austin
With a ranking of #6, University of North Texas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school handed out 47 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.
UNT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $8,521 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Trinity University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.
Trinity U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Trinity University is $12,373 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 241 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Arizona has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $10,562 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Texas Tech University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 98 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Texas Tech has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,317 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas Tech University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Houston came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 166 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Houston is $10,203 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. OSU is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
OSU also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $8,669 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus.
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 #12, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Dallas not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,857 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Dallas.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Texas State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.
Texas State also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for Texas State University is $11,125 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #14, Stephen F Austin State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Nacogdoches, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,650 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SFASU.
Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Scottsdale, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, ASU - Skysong has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Skysong is $12,037 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #15, New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for NMSU Main Campus is $6,896 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Texas at Arlington is a large school located in Arlington, Texas that handed out 41 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Arlington also took the #19 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Arlington is $11,811 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #17, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a large public school situated in Norman, Oklahoma. It awarded 83 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Oklahoma also took the #11 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $16,675 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Oklahoma.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
With a ranking of #18, University of Central Oklahoma did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCO is located in Edmond, Oklahoma and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
UCO also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $12,297 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCO.
With a ranking of #19, University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this large public school handed out 48 degrees to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UNM is $13,242 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Economics Report
University of Dallas ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Dallas is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Irving, Texas. It awarded 17 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, UD has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Dallas is $15,759 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Texas Lutheran University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas Lutheran University is located in Seguin, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, TLU has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Lutheran University is $16,147 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #22, St. Mary’s University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. St. Mary’s is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 4 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
St. Mary’s also took the #23 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $15,338 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend St. Mary’s.
With a ranking of #23, Austin College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Austin College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sherman, Texas. It awarded 14 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Austin College also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend Austin College is $16,598 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Southwestern University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Georgetown, Texas, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Southwestern has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southwestern University is $20,296 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics 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. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Corpus Christi, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,501 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to pixabay.
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