by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 211 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones 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.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes over $110k 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. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different 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 Lee College to be the best value (income over $110k) school in the Southwest Region in this year’s ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Baytown, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Lee College is ranked #6 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes over $110k per year is $9,199.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend El Centro College. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list. El Centro College is a public institution located in Dallas, Texas.
El Centro College has the honor of being ranked #17 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,071.
The quality degree programs at Central New Mexico Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Not only is Central New Mexico Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in New Mexico for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes over $110k per year is $8,986.
A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list means Central Texas College is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Killeen, Texas, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Central Texas College has the honor of being ranked #12 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,459.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list means McLennan Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. McLennan Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Waco, Texas.
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 over $110k per year is $9,626.
Pima Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. Pima Community College is a fairly large public school located 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. Students from families who make over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,648.
With a ranking of #7, Northwest Vista College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list. Northwest Vista College is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas.
Not only is Northwest Vista 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 over $110k per year is $10,911.
With a ranking of #8, Houston Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list. Houston Community College is a large public school located in Houston, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Houston Community College is ranked #15 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes over $110k per year is $11,948.
Amarillo College landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Amarillo, Texas, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Not only is Amarillo College a great value, but it is also ranked #53 in Texas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes over $110k per year is $6,592.
Lamar Institute of Technology landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Lamar Institute of Technology is located in Beaumont, 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 Institute of Technology is ranked #13 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes over $110k per year is $12,967.
Lamar State College - Orange landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking. This small public school is located in Orange, Texas.
Students from families who make over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,519.
Texas State Technical College landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region 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. Students from families who make over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $16,183.
San Antonio College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list. San Antonio College is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas.
San Antonio College has the honor of being ranked #27 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $11,372.
With a ranking of #14, University of Phoenix - Arizona did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the school is a large private for-profit institution.
Not only is University of Phoenix - Arizona a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Arizona for overall quality. Students from families who make over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $17,500.
Tarrant County College District came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking. This large public school is located in Fort Worth, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Tarrant County College District is ranked #30 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes over $110k per year is $11,302.
Collin County Community College District landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Collin County Community College District is a large public school located in McKinney, Texas.
Collin County Community College District has the honor of being ranked #21 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,642.
Read full value report on Collin County Community College District
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located 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 over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,967.
Read full value report on The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
With a ranking of #18, Austin Community College District did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list. Located in Austin, Texas, the school is a large public institution.
Austin Community College District has the honor of being ranked #32 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes over $110k per year is $11,981.
With a ranking of #19, Tulsa Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list. Tulsa Community College is a fairly large public school located in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Tulsa Community College is ranked #9 for quality in the state of Oklahoma. Students from families who make over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,671.
Del Mar College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list. Corpus Christi, 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, Del Mar College is ranked #37 for quality in the state of Texas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes over $110k per year is $11,516.
Parker University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Dallas, Texas, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes over $110k per year is $17,056.
New Mexico State University - Alamogordo came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Alamogordo, New Mexico, the school is a small public institution.
Not only is New Mexico State University - Alamogordo a great value, but it is also ranked #16 in New Mexico for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes over $110k per year is $4,290.
Read full value report on New Mexico State University - Alamogordo
With a ranking of #23, Grayson College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list. Grayson College is a small public school situated in Denison, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Grayson College is ranked #73 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,767.
Odessa College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Odessa, Texas, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Odessa College is ranked #52 for quality in the state of Texas. Students from families who make over $110k a year pay an annual average net price of $10,009.
Cochise County Community College District ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region list. Sierra Vista, Arizona 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, Cochise County Community College District is ranked #14 for quality in the state of Arizona. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes over $110k per year is $12,103.
Read full value report on Cochise County Community College District
Not only did these schools make the top 32 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 Over $110k) in the Southwest Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Victoria College | Victoria, TX | Value Report |
| 34 | El Paso Community College | El Paso, TX | Value Report |
| 35 | Lone Star College System | The Woodlands, TX | Value Report |
| 36 | San Jacinto Community College | Pasadena, TX | Value Report |
| 37 | Palo Alto College | San Antonio, TX | Value Report |
| 38 | New Mexico State University - Dona Ana | Las Cruces, NM | Value Report |
| 39 | Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City, OK | Value Report |
| 40 | Eastern New Mexico University - Roswell Campus | Roswell, NM | Value Report |
| 41 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | Value Report |
| 42 | Galveston College | Galveston, TX | Value Report |
| 43 | Yavapai College | Prescott, AZ | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.