by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. 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 $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking. 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:
After analyzing 116 schools in the Southwest Region , we came up with our list of those that offered 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.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $48-$75k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that that the student receives. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a good 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:
Lee College tops this year’s ranking as the best value (income $48-$75k) school for associate degrees in the Southwest Region for overall quality. 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. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,574.
Out of the 116 associate degree schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, South Texas College landed the #2 spot on the list. 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 $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,268.
Out of the 116 associate degree schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, El Centro College landed the #3 spot on the list. 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. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $5,619.
A rank of #4 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region list means Central New Mexico Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. 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. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $5,991.
Read full value report on Central New Mexico Community College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwest Vista College. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region list. Northwest Vista College is located in San Antonio, Texas and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Northwest Vista College a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $6,544.
Lamar State College - Orange did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Orange, Texas, the school is a small public institution.
Not only is Lamar State College - Orange a great value, but it is also ranked #26 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $3,148.
Lamar Institute of Technology came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Lamar Institute of Technology is a small public school situated 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. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $8,831.
With a ranking of #8, Pima Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region list. This fairly large public school is located in Tucson, Arizona.
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. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,866.
Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus is a small public school located in Portales, New Mexico.
Not only is Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in New Mexico for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,418.
Learn More About Value at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus
Central Texas College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Central Texas College is a medium-sized public school situated in Killeen, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Central Texas College is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $9,628.
Central Arizona College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Coolidge, Arizona, the school is a small public institution.
Central Arizona College has the honor of being ranked #5 in Arizona for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,839.
Houston Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region list. Houston Community College is a public institution located in Houston, Texas.
Houston Community College has the honor of being ranked #5 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $9,052.
Del Mar College landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Not only is Del Mar College a great value, but it is also ranked #19 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $6,305.
With a ranking of #14, Panola College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region list. This small public school is 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 $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,288.
With a ranking of #15, McLennan Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region list. This medium-sized public school is 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. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,876.
Austin Community College District did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Austin, Texas, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Austin Community College District is ranked #16 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,536.
San Antonio College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #17. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
San Antonio College has the honor of being ranked #12 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $7,914.
Tarrant County College District came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Tarrant County College is a public institution located in Fort Worth, Texas.
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 $48-$75k per year is $7,843.
College of the Mainland landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking. COM is a public institution located in Texas City, Texas.
Not only is College of the Mainland a great value, but it is also ranked #49 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $1,861.
University of Phoenix - Arizona landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Phoenix - Arizona is a large private for-profit school located in Phoenix, Arizona.
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 $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $15,426.
With a ranking of #21, Grayson College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region list. Grayson College is a public institution located in Denison, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Grayson College is ranked #31 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $4,867.
Collin County Community College District did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #22. Located in McKinney, Texas, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Collin County Community College District is ranked #10 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $9,625.
Read full value report on Collin County Community College District
New Mexico Military Institute came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking. New Mexico Military Institute is a small public school located in Roswell, New Mexico.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, New Mexico Military Institute is ranked #6 for quality in the state of New Mexico. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,103.
San Juan College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #24. This medium-sized public school is located in Farmington, New Mexico.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, San Juan College is ranked #3 for quality in the state of New Mexico. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,890.
With a ranking of #25, Texas State Technical College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region list. 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 #2 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $13,143.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.