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2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

40 Ranked Colleges
6,337 Degrees Awarded
$9,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor's 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 was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 78,664 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,829 and $15,343 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 6,337 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 40 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts general studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 26 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A & M University - Central Texas landed the #1 spot on the list. Texas A & M University - Central Texas is a public institution located in Killeen, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A & M University - Central Texas did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Texas A & M University - Central Texas

Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Texas landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 618 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UNT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,521 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of North Texas.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at UNT

Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Woman’s University landed the #3 spot on the list. TWU is a fairly large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 238 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

TWU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend TWU is $6,706 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at TWU

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 245 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $12,203 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Liberal Arts General Studies 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 Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Stillwater, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 265 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, OSU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $8,669 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

With a ranking of #6, Southeastern Oklahoma State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Durant, Oklahoma. It awarded 90 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University is $6,102 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Southeastern Oklahoma State University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#7

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas Tech is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 237 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech University is $12,317 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Texas Tech University

With a ranking of #8, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 166 students in 2019-2020.

UTSA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UTSA is $10,516 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio

Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Portales, New Mexico is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 148 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ENMU - Main Campus, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,115 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ENMU - Main Campus.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 102 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,044 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Arizona State University - Tempe

#11

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

With a ranking of #11, Northeastern State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, this medium-sized public school awarded 89 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, NSU has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,614 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northeastern State University.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Northeastern State University

Northwestern Oklahoma State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Alva, Oklahoma, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern Oklahoma State University is $7,491 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full NWOSU Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#13

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Northern Arizona University is a public institution located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 546 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NAU also took the #14 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NAU is $9,251 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Northern Arizona University

#14

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 58 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Houston is $10,203 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Full UH Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#14

Arizona State University - Skysong

Scottsdale, Arizona

Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. ASU - Skysong is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 342 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Skysong, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Skysong is $12,037 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Arizona State University - Skysong

#15

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas State is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 164 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas State, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas State is $11,125 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Texas State University

The University of Texas at Arlington came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Arlington, Texas, and it awarded 312 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $11,811 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at Arlington.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at UT Arlington

#17

Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

With a ranking of #17, Oklahoma City University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Oklahoma City University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It awarded 69 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OCU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $17,214 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend OCU.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at OCU

#18

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lamar University is located in Beaumont, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 146 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Lamar University is $9,200 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lamar University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. 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 166 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $6,896 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

#20

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

Sam Houston State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Huntsville, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 54 students in 2019-2020.

SHSU also took the #20 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sam Houston State University is $10,561 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Sam Houston State University

#21

East Central University

Ada, Oklahoma

With a ranking of #21, East Central University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Ada, Oklahoma, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,787 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ECU.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at ECU

Texas A&M University - Commerce came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas A&M Commerce is located in Commerce, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 133 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - Commerce is $10,013 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Texas A&M Commerce

#23

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

West Texas A&M University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Canyon, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 202 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, West Texas A&M University has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend West Texas A&M University is $8,730 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full West Texas A&M University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

With a ranking of #24, Texas A&M University - Texarkana did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas A&M University - Texarkana is located in Texarkana, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $6,384 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M University - Texarkana.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Texas A&M University - Texarkana

With a ranking of #25, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 336 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $16,675 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 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 full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

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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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