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2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

29 Ranked Colleges
2,902 Degrees Awarded
$12,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 29 colleges that offered a degree in economics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great economics programs and 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Economics 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 Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college 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.

Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 26 Best Value Colleges for Economics (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Rice University is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 103 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rice is $7,534 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Read full report on Economics at Rice University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 15 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $3,473 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Read more about Economics at UT Rio Grande Valley

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Texas. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UNT is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 59 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.

UNT also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $9,082 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k 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.

Full UNT Economics Report

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 396 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - College Station is $13,270 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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 94%.

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

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #5 spot on the list. ASU - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 285 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $8,921 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read full report on Economics at ASU - Tempe

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 523 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k list, UT Austin has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $13,575 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Economics at UT Austin

With a ranking of #7, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 19 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

UTSA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UTSA is $11,109 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Economics at The University of Texas at San Antonio

#8

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Houston is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 215 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

UH also took the #9 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Houston is $9,925 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 UH Economics Report

#9

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 283 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $11,466 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Economics at University of Arizona

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and it awarded 10 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

OSU also took the #15 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $9,962 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend OSU.

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

Read more about Economics at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

#11

Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas

Trinity University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students in 2019-2020.

Trinity U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Trinity U is $12,991 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Trinity U Economics Report

#12

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. Texas Tech is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 104 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $13,326 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Texas Tech Economics Report

The University of Texas at Dallas landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UT Dallas is a large public school situated in Richardson, Texas. It awarded 79 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Dallas also took the #8 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Dallas is $11,745 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Economics at The University of Texas at Dallas

#14

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

Texas State also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $12,292 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Texas State.

Read full report on Economics at Texas State

#14

Arizona State University - Skysong

Scottsdale, Arizona

With a ranking of #14, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Arizona State University - Skysong is a large public school situated in Scottsdale, Arizona. It awarded 28 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $12,020 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Arizona State University - Skysong.

Full ASU - Skysong Economics Report

New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. NMSU Main Campus is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $7,006 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Economics at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

With a ranking of #16, Stephen F Austin State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. SFASU is located in Nacogdoches, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for SFASU is $10,816 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Economics at SFASU

The University of Texas at Arlington came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Arlington, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 54 students in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Arlington is $12,974 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Economics at UT Arlington

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 114 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $17,285 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.

Full University of Oklahoma Economics Report

#19

Austin College

Sherman, Texas

Austin College landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Sherman, Texas, and it awarded 14 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Austin College has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $17,848 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Austin College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at Austin College

University of Central Oklahoma landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCO is located in Edmond, Oklahoma and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCO has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCO is $13,381 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Economics at UCO

#21

Texas Lutheran University

Seguin, Texas

Texas Lutheran University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. TLU is located in Seguin, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.

TLU also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Lutheran University is $16,388 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Economics at TLU

#22

University of Dallas

Irving, Texas

With a ranking of #22, University of Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Irving, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2019-2020.

UD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UD is $15,640 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UD Economics Report

#23

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 66 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UNM is $14,458 for southwest region economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Economics at University of New Mexico - Main Campus

#24

St. Mary's University

San Antonio, Texas

With a ranking of #24, St. Mary’s University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students in 2019-2020.

St. Mary’s also took the #24 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St. Mary’s University is $17,581 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full St. Mary’s University Economics Report

Southern Methodist University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s economics degrees to 184 students in 2019-2020.

SMU also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $27,331 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southern Methodist University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Economics at SMU

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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