by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking is part of that endeavor. Due to the amount of income-based financial aid available, many 'high-priced' schools are more affordable than you think.
In This Year's Value Report:
We analyzed 117 schools across the Southwest Region to determine which have the best value Associate Degree programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking is to look at the school's average net price for students with families that make $0-$30k a year. The net price is the sum of tuition, fees, and room and board minus any financial aid awarded to the student. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named South Texas College the best value (income $0-$30k) school in the Southwest Region for students working on their associate degree. South Texas College is located in McAllen, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, South Texas College is ranked #9 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $1,000.
Out of the 117 associate degree schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Lee College landed the #2 spot on the list. Lee College is located in Baytown, Texas and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Lee College is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $5,786.
A rank of #3 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region list means El Centro College is a great place for students working on their degree. This large public school is located in Dallas, Texas.
El Centro College has the honor of being ranked #7 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,693.
Out of the 117 associate degree schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Central New Mexico Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. Central New Mexico Community College is a fairly large public school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Not only is Central New Mexico Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in New Mexico for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,586.
Out of the 117 associate degree schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwest Vista College landed the #5 spot on the list. Northwest Vista College is a fairly large public school located in San Antonio, Texas.
Northwest Vista College has the honor of being ranked #8 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $3,018.
Pima Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region list. Located in Tucson, Arizona, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Pima Community College has the honor of being ranked #7 in Arizona for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,113.
Austin Community College District ranked #7 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region list. This large public school is located in Austin, Texas.
Not only is Austin Community College District a great value, but it is also ranked #16 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $2,546.
Lamar Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #8. Beaumont, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Lamar Institute of Technology is ranked #4 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,909.
Lamar State College - Orange ranked #9 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region list. Lamar State College - Orange is located in Orange, Texas and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Lamar State College - Orange is ranked #26 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $1,354.
Houston Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #10. This large public school is located in Houston, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Houston Community College is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,068.
San Antonio College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #11. San Antonio College is a fairly large public school situated in San Antonio, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, San Antonio College is ranked #12 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,084.
Central Arizona College landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Pinal County Community College is a public institution located in Coolidge, Arizona.
Not only is Central Arizona College a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in Arizona for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $4,603.
Texas State Technical College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #13. Texas State Technical College is a fairly large public school located in Waco, Texas.
Texas State Technical College has the honor of being ranked #2 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,442.
Central Texas College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Central Texas College is a public institution located in Killeen, Texas.
Not only is Central Texas College a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $7,575.
Del Mar College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #15. DMC is located in Corpus Christi, Texas and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Del Mar College has the honor of being ranked #19 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $4,175.
Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Portales, New Mexico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus has the honor of being ranked #2 in New Mexico for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,118.
Full Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus Value Report
McLennan Community College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking. MCC is a medium-sized public school situated in Waco, Texas.
Not only is McLennan Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $5,759.
Collin County Community College District did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #18. McKinney, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Collin County Community College District has the honor of being ranked #10 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $6,189.
Learn More About Value at Collin County Community College District
New Mexico Military Institute landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking. NMMI is located in Roswell, New Mexico and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is New Mexico Military Institute a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in New Mexico for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $1,143.
El Paso Community College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region list. El Paso Community College is located in El Paso, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is El Paso Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #29 in Texas for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,453.
Oklahoma City Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #21. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Oklahoma City Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Oklahoma for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $4,659.
Grayson College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region list. Grayson College is a small public school situated in Denison, Texas.
Not only is Grayson College a great value, but it is also ranked #31 in Texas for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,296.
Tulsa Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Tulsa Community College is a fairly large public school located in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Tulsa Community College has the honor of being ranked #4 in Oklahoma for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,856.
University of Phoenix - Arizona landed the #24 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the school is a large private for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Phoenix - Arizona is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Arizona. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,592.
St Philip’s College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #25. St Philip’s College is a fairly large public school located in San Antonio, Texas.
Not only is St Philip’s College a great value, but it is also ranked #23 in Texas for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,372.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.