by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
We analyzed 246 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.
Our Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking is determined by first looking at the combined costs of average tuition, fees, and room and board before any aid is applied. 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 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 Lee College to be the best value (no aid) school in the Southwest Region in this year’s ranking. Lee College is a medium-sized public school 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 cost without aid for the school is $10,320 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $6,018 per year for graduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Phoenix - Arizona. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the school is a large private for-profit institution.
University of Phoenix - Arizona has the honor of being ranked #2 in Arizona for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $15,402 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $22,003 a year.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list means Central Texas College is a great place for students working on their degree. Central Texas College is a public institution 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. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $13,611 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $6,171 per year for graduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Houston Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Houston Community College is a large public school located in Houston, Texas.
Not only is Houston Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #15 in Texas for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $14,540 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $9,080 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. UT Health San Antonio is located in San Antonio, Texas and has a small student population. It is a public school.
The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $32,694 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $24,448 a year.
Learn More About Value at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Texas State Technical College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas State Technical College is a fairly large public school located in Waco, Texas.
Texas State Technical College has the honor of being ranked #8 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $20,441 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $9,072 per year for graduate students.
Central New Mexico Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the school is a fairly large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Central New Mexico Community College is ranked #1 for quality in the state of New Mexico. The average cost without aid for the school is $14,962 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $7,422 a year.
Lamar Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #8. This small public school is located in Beaumont, Texas.
Not only is Lamar Institute of Technology a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Texas for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $18,600 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $5,964 a year.
With a ranking of #9, El Centro College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. El Centro College is located in Dallas, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
El Centro College has the honor of being ranked #17 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $16,836 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $10,836 per year for graduate students.
McLennan Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. MCC is a medium-sized public school situated 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 cost without aid for the school is $13,317 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,407 per year for graduate students.
Central Arizona College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #11. Coolidge, Arizona is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Central Arizona College a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in Arizona for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $12,460 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,300 per year for graduate students.
Collin County Community College District did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #12. This large public school is located in McKinney, Texas.
Not only is Collin County Community College District a great value, but it is also ranked #21 in Texas for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $14,188 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $9,084 per year for graduate students.
South Texas College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking. South Texas College is located in McAllen, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
South Texas College has the honor of being ranked #22 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $14,352 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $6,432 per year for graduate students.
With a ranking of #14, Panola College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Carthage, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Panola College a great value, but it is also ranked #42 in Texas for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $9,940 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $5,260 per year for graduate students.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #15. UT Southwestern is a small public school situated in Dallas, Texas.
The average cost without aid for the school is $11,000 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $28,845 per year for graduate students.
Learn More About Value at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
With a ranking of #16, GateWay Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the school is a small public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, GateWay Community College is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Arizona. The average cost without aid for the school is $16,350 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $8,496 a year.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is a medium-sized public school located in Lubbock, Texas.
The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $33,230 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $30,056 a year.
Full Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Value Report
Mesa Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #18. Mesa, Arizona is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Mesa Community College has the honor of being ranked #9 in Arizona for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $16,350 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $8,496 per year for graduate students.
With a ranking of #19, The University of Texas Medical Branch did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas Medical Branch is a small public school located in Galveston, Texas.
The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $34,692 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $32,997 per year for graduate students.
Read full value report on The University of Texas Medical Branch
Del Mar College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #20. DMC is located in Corpus Christi, Texas and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Del Mar College a great value, but it is also ranked #37 in Texas for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $12,880 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $6,950 a year.
West Coast University - Dallas did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #21. West Coast University - Dallas is a small private for-profit school located in Dallas, Texas.
The average cost without aid for the school is $25,354 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $18,916 a year.
Cochise County Community College District did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #22. This small public school is located in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
Not only is Cochise County Community College District a great value, but it is also ranked #14 in Arizona for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $13,602 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,362 per year for graduate students.
Learn More About Value at Cochise County Community College District
San Jacinto Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking. This large public school is located in Pasadena, Texas.
San Jacinto Community College has the honor of being ranked #36 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $13,486 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $8,446 a year.
With a ranking of #24, Rio Salado College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Rio Salado College is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona.
Not only is Rio Salado College a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in Arizona for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,406 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,552 per year for graduate students.
Odessa College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #25. Odessa College is a public institution located in Odessa, Texas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Odessa College is ranked #52 for quality in the state of Texas. The average cost without aid for the school is $10,293 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $5,895 a year.
Not only did these schools make the top 37 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 in the Southwest Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Oklahoma City Community College | Oklahoma City, OK | Value Report |
| 39 | Lone Star College System | The Woodlands, TX | Value Report |
| 40 | Austin Community College District | Austin, TX | Value Report |
| 41 | Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology | Okmulgee, OK | Value Report |
| 42 | Parker University | Dallas, TX | Value Report |
| 43 | Victoria College | Victoria, TX | Value Report |
| 44 | Eastern New Mexico University - Roswell Campus | Roswell, NM | Value Report |
| 45 | Chandler-Gilbert Community College | Chandler, AZ | Value Report |
| 46 | Lamar State College - Orange | Orange, TX | Value Report |
| 47 | Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City, OK | Value Report |
| 48 | San Antonio College | San Antonio, TX | Value Report |
| 49 | El Paso Community College | El Paso, TX | Value Report |
| 50 | Grayson College | Denison, TX | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.