2024 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering in the Southwest Region
18
Ranked Colleges
1,837
Degrees Awarded
$18,300
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
General Engineering is the 79th most popular major in the country with 11,796 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,873 and had an average of $20,557 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 1,837 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $70,584 and $19,521 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking analyzed 18 colleges that offered a degree in general engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general engineering 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 general engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank General Engineering Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region engineering students.
Top 18 Best Value Colleges for General Engineering in the Southwest Region
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Oklahoma Christian University landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Edmond, Oklahoma, and it awarded 60 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region engineering students list, OC has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma Christian University is $16,177 for southwest region engineering 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 more about General Engineering at OC
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Austin Community College District. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 85 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Austin Community College District not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Austin Community College District is $7,224 for Southwest Region Engineering students.
Full Austin Community College District General Engineering Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lamar University. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region list. Lamar University is a fairly large public school situated in Beaumont, Texas. It awarded 48 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Lamar University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lamar University is $11,739 for Southwest Region Engineering students.
The undergrad 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 full report on General Engineering at Lamar University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region. Arizona State University - Skysong is a public institution located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 81 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Skysong, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 General Engineering at Arizona State University - Skysong
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 #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region. Texas A&M College Station is a large public school situated in College Station, Texas. It awarded 70 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - College Station is $18,919 for Southwest Region Engineering students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Full Texas A&M University - College Station General Engineering Report
Texas Tech University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in Lubbock, Texas, this large public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas Tech, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $16,194 for Southwest Region Engineering students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 Texas Tech University General Engineering Report
New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region engineering students list, NMSU Main Campus has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NMSU Main Campus is $10,428 for Southwest Region Engineering students.
Read more about General Engineering at NMSU Main Campus
University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region list. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 23 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
UNM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $14,424 for Southwest Region Engineering students.
Full UNM General Engineering Report
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 174 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region engineering students list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for ASU - Tempe is $13,107 for Southwest Region Engineering students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 full report on General Engineering at Arizona State University - Tempe
West Texas A&M University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #10. West Texas A&M University is a medium-sized public school situated in Canyon, Texas. It awarded 6 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at West Texas A&M University, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $15,033 for Southwest Region Engineering students per year to attend West Texas A&M University.
Read full report on General Engineering at West Texas A&M University
With a ranking of #11, Prairie View A & M University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in Prairie View, Texas, this medium-sized public school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
PVAMU also took the #16 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $16,000 for Southwest Region Engineering students per year to attend PVAMU.
Read full report on General Engineering at Prairie View A & M University
With a ranking of #12, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region list. El Paso, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
UTEP also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UTEP is $9,000 for Southwest Region Engineering students.
Full The University of Texas at El Paso General Engineering Report
Texas State University landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas State University is a large school located in San Marcos, Texas that handed out 31 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas State is $14,887 for Southwest Region Engineering students.
Read full report on General Engineering at Texas State University
University of Arizona ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region list. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 29 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $13,358 for Southwest Region Engineering students.
Read full report on General Engineering at University of Arizona
Oral Roberts University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
ORU also made our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for Oral Roberts University is $19,355 for Southwest Region Engineering students.
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 General Engineering at Oral Roberts University
Southern Methodist University landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Value Engineering 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 5 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
SMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $38,208 for southwest region engineering students per year to attend Southern Methodist University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 full report on General Engineering at SMU
With a ranking of #17, Baylor University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in Waco, Texas, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 12 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Baylor, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Baylor University is $37,309 for Southwest Region Engineering 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.
Full Baylor General Engineering Report
Texas Christian University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #18. Texas Christian University is located in Fort Worth, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.
TCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Engineering Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas Christian University is $39,942 for southwest region engineering students.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on General Engineering at Texas Christian University
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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
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Rémi Kaupp.
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