by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Southwest Region Schools For The Money For Those Making $30-$48k ranking - to help you make that decision. A school that typically has a high sticker price may actually be very affordable, depending on how much need-based financial aid you receive.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
We analyzed 252 schools across the Southwest Region to determine which have the best value programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $30-$48k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that that the student receives. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
We go into more detail on these factors on our best value ranking methodology page.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Rice University tops this year’s ranking as the best value (income $30-$48k) school in the Southwest Region for overall quality. Rice is located in Houston, Texas and has a medium-sized student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Rice University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Texas for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,959.
The quality degree programs at Lee College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region. Lee College is a public institution located in Baytown, Texas.
Lee College has the honor of being ranked #6 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 $5,901.
A rank of #3 on our Best 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 a public institution located in McAllen, Texas.
Not only is South Texas College a great value, but it is also ranked #22 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 252 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. This fairly large public school is 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 $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,378.
Out of the 252 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, El Centro College landed the #5 spot on the list. This large public school is located in Dallas, Texas.
Not only is El Centro College a great value, but it is also ranked #17 in Texas for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,845.
University of North Texas ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list. This large public school is located in Denton, Texas.
Not only is University of North Texas a great value, but it is also ranked #14 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,714.
Northwest Vista College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. Northwest Vista College is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Northwest Vista College is ranked #19 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,491.
Pima Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #8. Pima County Community College District is a fairly large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona.
Pima Community College has the honor of being ranked #13 in Arizona 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 $3,113.
McLennan Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #9. MCC is located in Waco, Texas and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
McLennan Community College has the honor of being ranked #24 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 $4,479.
Austin Community College District did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #10. This large public school is located in Austin, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Austin Community College District is ranked #32 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,875.
Central Texas College landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Central Texas College is a medium-sized public school located in Killeen, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Central Texas 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 $7,212.
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. This large public school is located in Austin, Texas.
Not only is The University of Texas at Austin a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $13,365.
With a ranking of #13, College of the Mainland did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list. College of the Mainland is a small public school located in Texas City, Texas.
Not only is College of the Mainland a great value, but it is also ranked #98 in Texas for overall quality.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has the honor of being ranked #23 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 $5,068.
Houston Community College landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Houston Community College is a large public school located in Houston, Texas.
Houston Community College has the honor of being ranked #15 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 $6,796.
Lamar State College - Orange did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #16. Lamar State College - Orange is a small public school located in Orange, Texas.
Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,158.
With a ranking of #17, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list. Stillwater, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Oklahoma State University - Main Campus 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 $30-$48k per year is $7,932.
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #18. ASU - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Arizona State University - Tempe a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Arizona for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $10,693.
Lamar Institute of Technology landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Lamar Institute of Technology is a small public school situated in Beaumont, Texas.
Not only is Lamar Institute of Technology a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Texas for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,975.
Panola College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Panola College is a small public school located in Carthage, Texas.
Not only is Panola College a great value, but it is also ranked #42 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,188.
Tarrant County College District landed the #21 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. This large public school is located in Fort Worth, Texas.
Tarrant County College District has the honor of being ranked #30 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 $5,022.
Central Arizona College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Central Arizona College is a small public school located in Coolidge, Arizona.
Not only is Central Arizona College a great value, but it is also ranked #10 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 Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Waco, Texas, the school is a fairly large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Texas State Technical College is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $10,033.
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list. Located in College Station, Texas, the school is a large public institution.
Texas A&M University - College Station has the honor of being ranked #3 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 $14,642.
Read full value report on Texas A&M University - College Station
With a ranking of #25, San Antonio College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region list. San Antonio College is a fairly large public school located in San Antonio, Texas.
Not only is San Antonio College a great value, but it is also ranked #27 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,164.
Not only did these schools make the top 38 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX | Value Report |
| 40 | Texas A&M International University | Laredo, TX | Value Report |
| 41 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson, TX | Value Report |
| 42 | Eastern New Mexico University - Roswell Campus | Roswell, NM | Value Report |
| 43 | Cochise County Community College District | Sierra Vista, AZ | Value Report |
| 44 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX | Value Report |
| 44 | Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology | Okmulgee, OK | Value Report |
| 46 | New Mexico Military Institute | Roswell, NM | Value Report |
| 47 | Parker University | Dallas, TX | Value Report |
| 48 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | Socorro, NM | Value Report |
| 49 | Odessa College | Odessa, TX | Value Report |
| 50 | Midland College | Midland, TX | Value Report |
| 51 | Palo Alto College | San Antonio, TX | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.