by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a degree. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. This list is proof that you shouldn't avoid normally high-priced schools, since the actual price may be very affordable if you qualify for financial aid.
In This Year's Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 116 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones have the best value Associate Degree programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best value schools. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes $30-$48k a year. The net price is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. 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.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
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 analysis found Lee College to be the best value (income $30-$48k) school for associate degrees in the Southwest Region in this year’s ranking. Baytown, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Lee College has the honor of being ranked #1 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,901.
A rank of #2 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list means South Texas College is a great place for students working on their degree. South Texas College is located in McAllen, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is South Texas College a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Texas for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $1,439.
Out of the 116 associate degree schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Central New Mexico Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Central New Mexico Community College is a fairly large public school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Central New Mexico Community College has the honor of being ranked #1 in New Mexico for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,378.
Read full value report on Central New Mexico Community College
A rank of #4 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list means El Centro College is a great place for students working on their degree. El Centro College is a large public school situated 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. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,845.
A rank of #5 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list means Northwest Vista College is a great place for students working on their degree. Northwest Vista College is a fairly large public school situated 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 $30-$48k per year is $4,491.
Pima Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Pima County Community College District is located in Tucson, Arizona and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Pima Community College is ranked #7 for quality in the state of Arizona. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,113.
McLennan Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. MCC is a public institution located in Waco, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, McLennan Community College is ranked #11 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,479.
Austin Community College District landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Austin Community College District is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas.
Austin Community College District has the honor of being ranked #16 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,875.
Central Texas College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list. This medium-sized public school is located in Killeen, Texas.
Central Texas College has the honor of being ranked #3 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,212.
College of the Mainland came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. COM is a public institution located in Texas City, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, College of the Mainland is ranked #49 for quality in the state of Texas.
Houston Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Houston Community College is located in Houston, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Houston Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in Texas for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,796.
Lamar State College - Orange ranked #12 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) 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 $30-$48k per year is $2,158.
Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Portales, New Mexico, the school is a small public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus is ranked #2 for quality in the state of New Mexico. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,732.
Full Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus Value Report
Lamar Institute of Technology landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Lamar Institute of Technology is a small public school located in Beaumont, Texas.
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 $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,975.
With a ranking of #15, Panola College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list. Panola College is a small public school located in Carthage, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Panola College is ranked #21 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,188.
Tarrant County College District did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #16. Tarrant County College is located in Fort Worth, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Tarrant County College District is ranked #15 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $5,022.
Central Arizona College landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Pinal County Community College is located in Coolidge, Arizona and has a small student population. It is a public school.
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 $30-$48k per year is $5,597.
Texas State Technical College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #18. Waco, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Texas State Technical College is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $10,033.
San Antonio College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list. San Antonio College is a public institution located 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 $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,164.
Collin County Community College District ranked #20 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list. McKinney, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Collin County Community College District a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,074.
Read full value report on Collin County Community College District
Oklahoma City Community College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. OCCC is a public institution located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Oklahoma City Community College is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Oklahoma. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,193.
Grayson College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #22. Grayson College is a public institution located in Denison, Texas.
Not only is Grayson College a great value, but it is also ranked #31 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $2,817.
Del Mar College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #23. This fairly large public school is located in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Del Mar College has the honor of being ranked #19 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,030.
San Juan College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Farmington, New Mexico, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
San Juan College has the honor of being ranked #3 in New Mexico for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,166.
El Paso Community College landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. El Paso Community College is a large public school located in El Paso, Texas.
El Paso Community College has the honor of being ranked #29 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,640.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.