2026 Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region
[Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-nursing/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 15 schools to find the best return on investment for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools
Our analysis ranked The University Of Texas Pan American the best value for a degree in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing in the Southwest Region. Set in the city of Edinburg, The University Of Texas Pan American is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,799 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $19,645. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $11,674 in student loans. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates of The University Of Texas Pan American earn a median of $46,404 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $11,674 median debt. The University Of Texas Pan American admits about 94% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes New Mexico State University Main Campus one of the best values for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Located in the suburb of Las Cruces, New Mexico State University Main Campus is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,183, compared with $25,307 for out-of-state students. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $18,484 in student loans. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from New Mexico State University Main Campus generally make around $75,870. Set against $18,484 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #3 makes The University Of Texas At El Paso one of the best values for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. The University Of Texas At El Paso is a very large public school located in the city of El Paso. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,544, with out-of-state students paying around $25,502. Students borrow a median of $21,379 to complete the psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing program here. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from The University Of Texas At El Paso generally make around $88,713. Set against $21,379 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The University Of Texas At El Paso admits about 100% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at The University Of Texas At Tyler earned it the #4 place for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Located in the city of Tyler, The University Of Texas At Tyler is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,512, with out-of-state students paying around $24,512. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $24,356 in student loans. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from The University Of Texas At Tyler generally make around $98,109. Set against $24,356 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 94%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Texas A And M University Texarkana earned it the #5 place for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Texas A And M University Texarkana is a mid-sized public school located in the city of Texarkana. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,349, while out-of-state students pay about $24,680. Students borrow a median of $28,663 to complete the psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing program here. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates of Texas A And M University Texarkana earn a median of $44,862 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 64% of applicants are accepted.
Northern Arizona University ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best value psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing schools. Located in the city of Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,619, compared with $20,044 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $24,276. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from Northern Arizona University generally make around $47,056. Set against $24,276 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 90%.
University Of Arizona placed #7 among the best values for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Set in the city of Tucson, University Of Arizona is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $13,573 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $39,903. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $21,500. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates of University Of Arizona earn a median of $96,470 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 86% of applicants are accepted.
Texas State University San Marcos placed #8 among the best values for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Set in the city of San Marcos, Texas State University San Marcos is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,450, while out-of-state students pay about $22,930. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $23,250. Early-career psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates make about $84,285. That is a strong return on a $23,250 median debt. Texas State University San Marcos admits about 89% of applicants.
University Of St Thomas Texas landed the #9 spot for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing value this year. Set in the city of Houston, University Of St Thomas Texas is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $34,634. Students borrow a median of $24,607 to complete the psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing program here. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from University Of St Thomas Texas generally make around $83,793. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 90% of applicants are accepted.
University Of The Incarnate Word ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best value psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing schools. Located in the city of San Antonio, University Of The Incarnate Word is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $37,090. Students borrow a median of $27,574 to complete the psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing program here. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates of University Of The Incarnate Word earn a median of $85,614 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $27,574 median debt. The acceptance rate is 98%.
West Texas A And M University landed the #11 spot for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing value this year. West Texas A And M University is a large public school located in the town of Canyon. Students from in state pay about $9,101 in tuition and fees, compared with $10,996 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $22,884. Early-career psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates make about $74,531. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 99% of applicants are accepted.
Texas Christian University came in at #12 for value in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing this year. Set in the city of Fort Worth, Texas Christian University is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $61,740. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $27,000. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from Texas Christian University generally make around $133,545. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Roughly 44% of applicants are accepted.
Narrow Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools by State
More Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Rankings
View All Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Rankings >
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 15 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
