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2022 Best Value Colleges for Drafting & Design Engineering Technology (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

23 Ranked Colleges
1,714 Degrees Awarded
$6,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Drafting & Design Engineering Technology is the 142nd most popular major in the country with 9,770 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, drafting and design engineering technology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $37,947 and had an average of $20,124 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 1,714 drafting and design engineering technology graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,675 and $14,204 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 23 colleges that offered a degree in drafting and design engineering technology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality drafting and design engineering technology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the drafting and design engineering technology program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools

The design engineering tech 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 Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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 Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 23 Best Value Colleges for Drafting & Design Engineering Technology (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

#1

College of the Mainland

Texas City, Texas

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, College of the Mainland landed the #1 spot on the list. College of the Mainland is a small school located in Texas City, Texas that handed out 8 ’s design engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

COM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $1,101 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend College of the Mainland.

Full COM Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Report

#2

Lee College

Baytown, Texas

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Lee College landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Baytown, Texas, this medium-sized public school handed out 87 diplomas to qualified ’s design engineering tech students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k list, Lee College has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lee College is $6,555 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Lee College

#3

Houston Community College

Houston, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Houston Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Houston Community College is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k list, Houston Community College has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Houston Community College is $5,351 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Houston Community College

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Austin Community College District landed the #4 spot on the list. Austin Community College District is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 132 ’s design engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

Austin Community College District also made our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Austin Community College District is $4,362 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Austin Community College District

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tarrant County College District. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Tarrant County College District is a public institution located in Fort Worth, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Tarrant County College also took the #8 spot in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $5,742 for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Tarrant County College District.

Full Tarrant County College Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Report

With a ranking of #6, Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and it awarded 6 ’s design engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k list, OSU-OKC has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $5,839 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City.

Full OSU-OKC Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Report

San Jacinto Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Pasadena, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design engineering tech degrees to 152 students in 2019-2020.

San Jacinto College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend San Jacinto College is $8,502 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at San Jacinto Community College

Lamar Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Beaumont, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design engineering tech degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

Lamar Institute of Technology not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lamar Institute of Technology is $6,434 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Lamar Institute of Technology

#9

Grayson College

Denison, Texas

Grayson College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Grayson College is a public institution located in Denison, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Grayson College also took the #16 spot in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,336 for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Grayson College.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Grayson College

With a ranking of #10, Wharton County Junior College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Wharton, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 17 degrees to qualified ’s design engineering tech students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wharton County Junior College, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $4,163 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Wharton County Junior College.

Full Wharton County Junior College Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Report

#11

Amarillo College

Amarillo, Texas

With a ranking of #11, Amarillo College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Amarillo College is located in Amarillo, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 32 ’s design engineering tech degrees to qualified students.

Amarillo College also took the #12 spot in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Amarillo College is $5,506 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Amarillo College Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Report

Texas State Technical College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Texas State Technical College is a public institution located in Waco, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 43 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

TSTC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $9,067 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Texas State Technical College.

Read more about Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Texas State Technical College

#13

Pima Community College

Tucson, Arizona

Pima Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Pima Community College is a fairly large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 85 ’s design engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

Pima County Community College District also made our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend Pima County Community College District is $3,417 for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Pima Community College

#14

Laredo College

Laredo, Texas

Laredo College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Laredo College is located in Laredo, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 ’s design engineering tech degrees to qualified students.

Laredo College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Laredo College is $4,533 for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Laredo College Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Report

#15

Tyler Junior College

Tyler, Texas

Tyler Junior College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Tyler, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified ’s design engineering tech students in 2019-2020.

Tyler Junior College also took the #9 spot in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,737 for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Tyler Junior College.

Full Tyler Junior College Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Report

#16

New Mexico State University - Dona Ana

Las Cruces, New Mexico

New Mexico State University - Dona Ana came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. NMSU Dona Ana is a public institution located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NMSU Dona Ana also took the #18 spot in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NMSU Dona Ana is $5,658 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at NMSU Dona Ana

#17

Central New Mexico Community College

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Central New Mexico Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. CNM is a large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 7 ’s design engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k list, CNM has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $3,626 for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CNM.

Full Central New Mexico Community College Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Report

#18

Alvin Community College

Alvin, Texas

Alvin Community College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Alvin, Texas, and it awarded 50 ’s design engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

Alvin also took the #13 spot in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Alvin Community College is $9,590 for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Alvin Community College

#19

Oklahoma City Community College

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design engineering tech degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k list, OCCC has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $5,981 for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend OCCC.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at OCCC

#20

San Juan College

Farmington, New Mexico

With a ranking of #20, San Juan College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Farmington, New Mexico is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design engineering tech degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

SJC also took the #21 spot in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SJC is $5,641 for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at SJC

#21

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Sam Houston State University is located in Huntsville, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 ’s design engineering tech degrees to qualified students.

SHSU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,634 for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SHSU.

Read more about Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Sam Houston State University

#22

El Paso Community College

El Paso, Texas

El Paso Community College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. El Paso Community College is a large public school situated in El Paso, Texas. It awarded 4 ’s design engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

El Paso Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend El Paso Community College is $4,609 for southwest region design engineering tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at El Paso Community College

#23

Mesa Community College

Mesa, Arizona

Mesa Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Engineering Tech Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Mesa, Arizona, and it awarded 12 ’s design engineering tech degrees in 2019-2020.

Mesa Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Mesa Community College is $9,317 for Southwest Region Design Engineering Tech students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Mesa Community College

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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

Footnotes

  • *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

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Pixabay.

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