by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking is part of that endeavor. 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:
After analyzing 116 schools in Texas, we came up with our list of those that offered 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.
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking is to look at the school's average net price for students with families that make $30-$48k a year. The net price is the sum of tuition, fees, and room and board minus any financial aid awarded to the student. 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 consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host 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:
Our analysis found Rice University to be the best value (income $30-$48k) school in Texas in this year’s ranking. Rice University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Houston, Texas.
Rice University has the honor of being ranked #1 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 $5,959.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lee College. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas list. Baytown, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Lee College is ranked #6 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,901.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas list means South Texas College is a great place for students working on their degree. South Texas College is a large public school situated in McAllen, Texas.
South Texas College has the honor of being ranked #22 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 $1,439.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend El Centro College. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas list. El Centro College is located in Dallas, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, El Centro College is ranked #17 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,845.
The quality degree programs at University of North Texas helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas. Located in Denton, Texas, the school is a large public institution.
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 came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking. Located in San Antonio, Texas, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Northwest Vista 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 $4,491.
McLennan Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas list. Waco, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, McLennan Community College is ranked #24 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 Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking. Austin Community College District is located in Austin, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Austin Community College District a great value, but it is also ranked #32 in Texas for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,875.
With a ranking of #9, Central Texas College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas list. This medium-sized public school is located in Killeen, Texas.
Not only is Central Texas College a great value, but it is also ranked #12 in Texas for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,212.
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking, coming in at #10. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, The University of Texas at Austin 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 $13,365.
College of the Mainland came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking. Texas City, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
College of the Mainland has the honor of being ranked #98 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas 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.
With a ranking of #13, Houston Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas list. Houston Community College is located in Houston, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Houston Community College has the honor of being ranked #15 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 $6,796.
Lamar Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking, coming in at #14. Beaumont, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Lamar Institute of Technology a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,975.
Panola College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking. Located in Carthage, Texas, the school is a small public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Panola College is ranked #42 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,188.
Tarrant County College District ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas list. Tarrant County College is a public institution 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. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,022.
Texas State Technical College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking. TSTC is a public institution located in Waco, Texas.
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. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $10,033.
Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking. Texas A&M College Station is located in College Station, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Texas A&M University - College Station is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $14,642.
Read full value report on Texas A&M University - College Station
San Antonio College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas list. 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 #27 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 came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking. Collin County Community College District is located in McKinney, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Collin County Community College District has the honor of being ranked #21 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 $7,074.
Read full value report on Collin County Community College District
Del Mar College landed the #21 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking. Del Mar College is a fairly large public school located in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Not only is Del Mar College a great value, but it is also ranked #37 in Texas for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,030.
Grayson College landed the #22 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking. Grayson College is a small public school situated in Denison, Texas.
Grayson College has the honor of being ranked #73 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 $2,817.
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas list. UT Permian Basin is located in Odessa, Texas and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Not only is The University of Texas of the Permian Basin a great value, but it is also ranked #61 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,836.
Learn More About Value at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin
El Paso Community College landed the #24 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas ranking. Located in El Paso, Texas, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, El Paso Community College is ranked #64 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,640.
With a ranking of #25, Trinity University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Texas list. Trinity U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Antonio, Texas.
Trinity University has the honor of being ranked #18 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 $9,090.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.