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2022 Best Value Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

26 Ranked Colleges
2,438 Degrees Awarded
$11,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

Civil Engineering is the 45th most popular major in the country with 21,561 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, civil engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $60,122 and had an average of $23,807 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 2,438 civil engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,929 and $21,417 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 26 colleges that offered a degree in civil engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great civil engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the civil engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Civil Engineering Schools

The civil eng 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 Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

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

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Civil Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #1 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 23 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Rice not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Rice University is $7,534 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Rice

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #2 spot on the list. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 65 students in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $3,473 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at UT Rio Grande Valley

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 383 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M College Station is $13,270 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University - College Station

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. OSU is a large public school situated in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It awarded 76 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

OSU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for OSU is $9,962 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full OSU Civil Engineering Report

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school handed out 256 degrees to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also took the #2 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $13,575 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Civil Engineering Report

With a ranking of #6, The University of Texas at Tyler did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UT Tyler is a medium-sized public school situated in Tyler, Texas. It awarded 82 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Tyler also took the #11 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,058 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UT Tyler.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at UT Tyler

Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. ASU - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 268 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,921 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full ASU - Tempe Civil Engineering Report

#8

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Texas Tech is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 138 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, Texas Tech has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech University is $13,326 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Texas Tech University

The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this large public school awarded 110 diplomas to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, UTSA has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,109 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Read more about Civil Engineering at UTSA

#10

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Houston is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 94 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UH also took the #8 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UH is $9,925 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at UH

The University of Texas at El Paso landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. The University of Texas at El Paso is a large public school situated in El Paso, Texas. It awarded 100 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

UTEP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at El Paso is $7,427 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at UTEP

#12

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $11,466 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Arizona

#13

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Beaumont, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

Lamar University also took the #18 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lamar University is $10,631 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Lamar University Civil Engineering Report

New Mexico State University - Main Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico that handed out 52 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

NMSU Main Campus also took the #24 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,006 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus.

Read more about Civil Engineering at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Arlington, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 243 students in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Arlington is $12,974 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington

#16

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school handed out 47 degrees to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

NAU also took the #19 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $9,799 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend NAU.

Full NAU Civil Engineering Report

Texas A&M University - Kingsville ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Kingsville, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 113 degrees to qualified ’s civil eng students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M Kingsville also took the #21 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,721 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Texas A&M Kingsville.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University - Kingsville

#18

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

West Texas A&M University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. West Texas A&M University is located in Canyon, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

West Texas A&M University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for West Texas A&M University is $10,146 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Civil Engineering at West Texas A&M University

#19

Prairie View A & M University

Prairie View, Texas

With a ranking of #19, Prairie View A & M University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Prairie View, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s civil eng degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, PVAMU has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $13,098 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Prairie View A & M University.

Full Prairie View A & M University Civil Engineering Report

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is a small public school situated in Socorro, New Mexico. It awarded 12 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, New Mexico Tech has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico Tech is $12,297 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Civil Engineering Report

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 97 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k list, University of Oklahoma has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Oklahoma is $17,285 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Civil Engineering at University of Oklahoma

#22

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UNM is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 66 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNM, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $14,458 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus.

Full University of New Mexico - Main Campus Civil Engineering Report

#23

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas

With a ranking of #23, Tarleton State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Stephenville, Texas, and it awarded 15 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tarleton, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $17,132 for Southwest Region Civil Eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Tarleton.

Read more about Civil Engineering at Tarleton State University

#24

LeTourneau University

Longview, Texas

LeTourneau University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. LeTourneau University is a small school located in Longview, Texas that handed out 11 ’s civil eng degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at LETU, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $17,824 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend LeTourneau University.

Read more about Civil Engineering at LETU

Southern Methodist University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Civil Eng Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. SMU is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 ’s civil eng degrees to qualified students.

SMU also made our “Best Civil Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for SMU is $27,331 for southwest region civil eng students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at SMU

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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.

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