2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2019-2020, 365,980 liberal arts students received their degree, making the major the 2nd most popular in the country.
Across the Southwest region, there were 28,078 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,285 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 18 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the liberal arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 19 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
OSU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend OSU is $9,962 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Liberal Arts Report
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s 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 #2 spot on the list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school handed out 143 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $13,575 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Tech University landed the #3 spot on the list. Texas Tech University is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 5 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Texas Tech has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech University is $13,326 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Portales, New Mexico, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
ENMU - Main Campus not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend ENMU - Main Campus is $8,219 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school handed out 102 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
ASU - Tempe also took the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,921 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Arizona State University - Tempe.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Houston landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UH is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, UH has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UH is $9,925 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #7, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. NAU is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 545 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
NAU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $9,799 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend NAU.
New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico that handed out 166 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
NMSU Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $7,006 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at New Mexico State University - Main Campus
Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Scottsdale, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 342 students in 2019-2020.
ASU - Skysong also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Skysong is $12,020 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at Arizona State University - Skysong
Texas A&M University - Commerce came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Commerce, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M Commerce also took the #14 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - Commerce is $10,580 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Sam Houston State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. SHSU is a large school located in Huntsville, Texas that handed out 54 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
SHSU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,634 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SHSU.
With a ranking of #11, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 148 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $17,285 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Oklahoma.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
With a ranking of #12, University of Central Oklahoma did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Central Oklahoma is a public institution located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCO, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Oklahoma is $13,381 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at University of Central Oklahoma
University of St. Thomas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Houston, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UST, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $16,539 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of St. Thomas.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at University of St. Thomas
With a ranking of #14, St. John’s College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Santa Fe, New Mexico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 74 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, St. John’s has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $29,163 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend St. John’s College.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, Northern New Mexico College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Espanola, New Mexico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
Northern New Mexico College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $9,167 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northern New Mexico College.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 197 students in 2019-2020.
UNM also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $14,458 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
Oklahoma Christian University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Oklahoma Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at OC, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $18,379 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend OC.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at Oklahoma Christian University
Tarleton State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stephenville, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 99 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Tarleton has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tarleton State University is $17,132 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.
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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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