2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region
19
Ranked Colleges
1,862
Degrees Awarded
$18,900
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 18,325 people earned their degree in information science, making the major the 58th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, information science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $59,394 and had an average of $28,852 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 1,862 information science graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,632 and $29,929 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking analyzed 19 colleges that offered a degree in information science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent information science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the information science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The is school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region is students.
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #1 spot on the list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s is degrees to 132 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region is students list, UT Austin has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $18,350 for southwest region is students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read more about Information Science at The University of Texas at Austin
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Texas. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region. UNT is a large school located in Denton, Texas that handed out 208 ’s is degrees in 2020-2021.
UNT also made our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend UNT is $14,122 for Southwest Region IS students.
Read full report on Information Science at University of North Texas
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region. Texas A&M College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 163 ’s is degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - College Station is $18,919 for southwest region is students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Information Science at Texas A&M College Station
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Strayer University - Texas landed the #4 spot on the list. Farmers Branch, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s is degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
Strayer University - Texas also made our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Strayer University - Texas is $22,089 for Southwest Region IS students.
Full Strayer University - Texas Information Science Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Dallas. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at Dallas is a public institution located in Richardson, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 395 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Dallas not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Dallas is $15,526 for southwest region is students.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Information Science at The University of Texas at Dallas
University of Houston did quite well in the 2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. UH is a large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 5 ’s is degrees in 2020-2021.
UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $13,721 for southwest region is students per year to attend University of Houston.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UH Information Science Report
The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Arlington, Texas, this large public school handed out 294 diplomas to qualified ’s is students in 2020-2021.
UT Arlington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Arlington is $15,509 for southwest region is students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Information Science at UT Arlington
Tarleton State University landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Stephenville, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 42 degrees to qualified ’s is students in 2020-2021.
Tarleton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Tarleton is $20,307 for southwest region is students.
Full Tarleton Information Science Report
Prairie View A & M University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #9. Prairie View A & M University is located in Prairie View, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s is degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at PVAMU, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for PVAMU is $16,000 for southwest region is students.
Read full report on Information Science at Prairie View A & M University
Texas A&M University - Commerce ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M Commerce is a fairly large public school situated in Commerce, Texas. It awarded 74 ’s is degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M Commerce also took the #10 spot in our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Commerce is $13,515 for Southwest Region IS students.
Read full report on Information Science at Texas A&M University - Commerce
With a ranking of #11, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region list. University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s is degrees to qualified students.
University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Oklahoma is $21,122 for Southwest Region IS students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Information Science Report
University of Houston - Clear Lake did quite well in the 2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #12. UH Clear Lake is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UH Clear Lake also made our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $15,001 for Southwest Region IS students per year to attend UH Clear Lake.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Information Science at UH Clear Lake
Texas A & M University - Central Texas ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region list. Texas A & M University - Central Texas is a small public school situated in Killeen, Texas. It awarded 14 ’s is degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A & M University - Central Texas, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A & M University - Central Texas is $3,249 for southwest region is students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Information Science at Texas A & M University - Central Texas
Southern Methodist University landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Southern Methodist University is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 116 ’s is degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SMU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $38,208 for southwest region is students per year to attend Southern Methodist University.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Information Science at Southern Methodist University
University of Arizona landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region is students list, University of Arizona has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $13,358 for southwest region is students.
Read full report on Information Science at University of Arizona
Angelo State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #16. Angelo State University is a public institution located in San Angelo, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Angelo State, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Angelo State is $13,184 for Southwest Region IS students.
Read full report on Information Science at Angelo State University
University of Mary Hardin - Baylor ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region list. This small school is located in Belton, Texas, and it awarded 26 ’s is degrees in 2020-2021.
UMHB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $26,859 for southwest region is students per year to attend University of Mary Hardin - Baylor.
Read more about Information Science at University of Mary Hardin - Baylor
Baylor University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #18. Waco, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s is degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
Baylor also took the #5 spot in our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Baylor University is $37,309 for Southwest Region IS students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Information Science at Baylor
South University, Austin came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value IS Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Round Rock, Texas, this small private for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s is students in 2020-2021.
South University, Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Information Science Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $23,369 for southwest region is students per year to attend South University, Austin.
Read full report on Information Science at South University, Austin
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
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