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 Getting Aid for a Master's 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:
Our analysis looked at 88 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones have the best value Master's Degree 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 Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking, we first look at its average net price, which 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 school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection 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 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to be the best value (with aid) school for master’s degrees in the Southwest Region in this year’s ranking. This large public school is located in Edinburg, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is ranked #18 for quality in the state of Texas.
Read full value report on The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region list. 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 quality degree programs at The University of Texas at Austin helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school located in Austin, Texas.
The University of Texas at Austin has the honor of being ranked #2 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value.
A rank of #4 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region list means The University of Texas at Dallas is a great place for students working on their degree. The University of Texas at Dallas is a large public school located in Richardson, Texas.
Not only is The University of Texas at Dallas a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in Texas for overall quality.
Out of the 88 master’s degree schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M International University landed the #5 spot on the list. Texas A&M International University is located in Laredo, Texas and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Texas A&M International University has the honor of being ranked #45 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on Texas A&M International University
With a ranking of #6, University of Phoenix - Arizona did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region list. University of Phoenix - Arizona is a large private for-profit school located in Phoenix, Arizona.
University of Phoenix - Arizona has the honor of being ranked #3 in Arizona for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Lamar University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking. Lamar University is located in Beaumont, Texas and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Lamar University a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in Texas for overall quality.
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #8 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region list. This large public school is located in Tempe, Arizona.
Arizona State University - Tempe has the honor of being ranked #1 in Arizona for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Texas Woman’s University landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Denton, Texas.
Texas Woman’s University has the honor of being ranked #15 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of North Texas landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Denton, Texas, the school is a large public institution.
University of North Texas has the honor of being ranked #13 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking. ENMU - Main Campus is a small public school situated in Portales, New Mexico.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus is ranked #6 for quality in the state of New Mexico.
Learn More About Value at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus
University of Houston came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking. This large public school is located in Houston, Texas.
University of Houston has the honor of being ranked #9 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Southeastern Oklahoma State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region list. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a public institution located in Durant, Oklahoma.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Southeastern Oklahoma State University is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Oklahoma.
Learn More About Value at Southeastern Oklahoma State University
With a ranking of #14, Northeastern State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region list. NSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Northeastern State University is ranked #9 for quality in the state of Oklahoma.
With a ranking of #15, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at San Antonio is a large public school located in San Antonio, Texas.
Not only is The University of Texas at San Antonio a great value, but it is also ranked #24 in Texas for overall quality.
Learn More About Value at The University of Texas at San Antonio
With a ranking of #16, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region list. OSU is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Not only is Oklahoma State University - Main Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Oklahoma for overall quality.
Read full value report on Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking. Socorro, New Mexico 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, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is ranked #1 for quality in the state of New Mexico.
Full New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Value Report
The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #18. UT Arlington is located in Arlington, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is The University of Texas at Arlington a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in Texas for overall quality.
The University of Texas at Tyler landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Tyler, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, The University of Texas at Tyler is ranked #29 for quality in the state of Texas.
With a ranking of #20, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region list. Odessa, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin has the honor of being ranked #40 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on The University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Lubbock, Texas, the school is a large public institution.
Texas Tech University has the honor of being ranked #8 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Houston - Downtown ranked #22 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region list. This fairly large public school is located in Houston, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Houston - Downtown is ranked #20 for quality in the state of Texas.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking. UNM is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has a large student population. It is a public school.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus has the honor of being ranked #3 in New Mexico for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on University of New Mexico - Main Campus
University of Arizona came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and has a large student population. It is a public school.
University of Arizona has the honor of being ranked #2 in Arizona for overall quality on top of being a good value.
The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in the Southwest Region ranking. El Paso, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
The University of Texas at El Paso has the honor of being ranked #37 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at The University of Texas at El Paso
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.