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2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

18 Ranked Colleges
296 Degrees Awarded
$11,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Environmental Engineering is the 166th most popular major in the country with 2,802 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, environmental engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,600 and had an average of $23,573 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 296 environmental engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,000 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 18 colleges that offered a degree in environmental engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality environmental engineering 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 environmental engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 18 Best Value Colleges for Environmental Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified ’s environmental engineering students in 2019-2020.

Rice also took the #1 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $3,437 for Southwest Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rice.

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. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 Environmental Engineering at Rice University

Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school awarded 47 degrees to qualified ’s environmental engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $7,044 for Southwest Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Environmental Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 24 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $12,203 for southwest region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Austin.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Environmental Engineering Report

#4

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas Tech University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas Tech is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 50 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas Tech, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,317 for Southwest Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas Tech.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Texas Tech Environmental Engineering Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It awarded 2 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

OSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $8,669 for Southwest Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Environmental Engineering at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

#6

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 17 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,562 for southwest region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Arizona.

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

Read more about Environmental Engineering at University of Arizona

The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this large public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified ’s environmental engineering students in 2019-2020.

UTSA also made our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $10,516 for Southwest Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UTSA.

Read full report on Environmental Engineering at UTSA

#8

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Beaumont, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s environmental engineering degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

Lamar University also took the #11 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $9,200 for southwest region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lamar University.

Read more about Environmental Engineering at Lamar University

#9

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 8 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Houston is $10,203 for Southwest Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Environmental Engineering at University of Houston

The University of Texas at El Paso ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Texas at El Paso is a large public school situated in El Paso, Texas. It awarded 12 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UTEP has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UTEP is $7,092 for southwest region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full The University of Texas at El Paso Environmental Engineering Report

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is a public institution located in Socorro, New Mexico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

New Mexico Tech also took the #12 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,924 for southwest region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend New Mexico Tech.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full New Mexico Tech Environmental Engineering Report

New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 ’s environmental engineering degrees to qualified students.

NMSU Main Campus not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for NMSU Main Campus is $6,896 for Southwest Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full New Mexico State University - Main Campus Environmental Engineering Report

With a ranking of #13, Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas A&M Kingsville is a medium-sized public school situated in Kingsville, Texas. It awarded 23 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M Kingsville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M Kingsville is $11,105 for Southwest Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Texas A&M Kingsville Environmental Engineering Report

#14

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, and it awarded 31 ’s environmental engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NAU, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NAU is $9,251 for Southwest Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Environmental Engineering at Northern Arizona University

#15

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

West Texas A&M University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. West Texas A&M University is located in Canyon, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 ’s environmental engineering degrees to qualified students.

West Texas A&M University also made our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend West Texas A&M University is $8,730 for southwest region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full West Texas A&M University Environmental Engineering Report

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 ’s environmental engineering degrees to qualified students.

University of Oklahoma also took the #8 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $16,675 for Southwest Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Environmental Engineering Report

#17

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas

Tarleton State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Stephenville, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s environmental engineering degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Tarleton has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $15,604 for Southwest Region Environmental Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tarleton State University.

Read full report on Environmental Engineering at Tarleton

Southern Methodist University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s environmental engineering degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

SMU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Environmental Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SMU is $26,718 for southwest region environmental engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Environmental 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.

Credits

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