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2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

39 Ranked Colleges
6,337 Degrees Awarded
$11,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Arts 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.

With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies is the 1st most popular major in the United States. 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 39 colleges that offer a degree 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to 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 $30-$48k

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 $30-$48k.

Top 26 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Texas. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school awarded 618 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

UNT also took the #8 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Texas is $9,082 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of North Texas

Out of the 39 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Woman’s University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Denton, Texas, and 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 $7,050 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Texas Woman’s University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and it awarded 265 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

OSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend OSU is $9,962 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full OSU Liberal Arts General Studies Report

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 $30-$48k list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 245 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also took the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $13,575 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k 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 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%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at The University of Texas at Austin

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at San Antonio. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UTSA is a large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 166 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees 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. It costs about $11,109 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UTSA.

Full The University of Texas at San Antonio Liberal Arts General Studies Report

Southeastern Oklahoma State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Durant, Oklahoma, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $6,704 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Southeastern Oklahoma State University

#7

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 237 students in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech also took the #10 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech University is $13,326 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. ENMU - Main Campus is a medium-sized school located in Portales, New Mexico that handed out 148 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

ENMU - Main Campus also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #23. The yearly cost to attend ENMU - Main Campus is $8,219 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#9

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Northeastern State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. NSU is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 89 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NSU, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NSU is $7,543 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full NSU Liberal Arts General Studies Report

Northwestern Oklahoma State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. NWOSU is a small school located in Alva, Oklahoma that handed out 31 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,767 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at NWOSU

With a ranking of #11, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $8,921 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#12

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Houston is a large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 58 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UH also took the #19 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $9,925 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Houston.

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

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Houston

#13

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

With a ranking of #13, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. NAU is a large school located in Flagstaff, Arizona that handed out 546 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, NAU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NAU is $9,799 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at NAU

#14

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Texas State is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 164 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas State also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $12,292 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Texas State.

Full Texas State University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#14

Arizona State University - Skysong

Scottsdale, Arizona

Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this large public school awarded 342 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for ASU - Skysong is $12,020 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Arlington, Texas, this large public school awarded 312 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Arlington, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Arlington is $12,974 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at UT Arlington

#16

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Lamar University is a fairly large school located in Beaumont, Texas that handed out 146 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lamar University is $10,631 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Lamar University

New Mexico State University - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school handed out 166 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend NMSU Main Campus is $7,006 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full New Mexico State University - Main Campus Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#18

East Central University

Ada, Oklahoma

With a ranking of #18, 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 $30-$48k list. ECU is a small school located in Ada, Oklahoma that handed out 27 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend ECU is $8,259 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at East Central University

Texas A&M University - Commerce did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. This fairly large school is located in Commerce, Texas, and it awarded 133 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,580 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Texas A&M University - Commerce.

Full Texas A&M Commerce Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#20

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

West Texas A&M University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Canyon, Texas, and it awarded 202 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

West Texas A&M University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend West Texas A&M University is $10,146 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at West Texas A&M University

#21

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Sam Houston State University is a public institution located in Huntsville, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s degrees 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 estimated yearly cost for Sam Houston State University is $11,634 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full SHSU Liberal Arts General Studies Report

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma is $17,285 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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 Liberal Arts General Studies Report

University of Central Oklahoma ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Central Oklahoma is a fairly large public school situated in Edmond, Oklahoma. It awarded 207 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCO has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Central Oklahoma is $13,381 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at UCO

#24

Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

With a ranking of #24, 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 $30-$48k list. OCU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It awarded 69 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

OCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma City University is $19,034 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Oklahoma City University

#25

University of St. Thomas

Houston, Texas

With a ranking of #25, University of St. Thomas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 77 students in 2019-2020.

UST also took the #5 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UST is $16,539 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full University of St. Thomas Liberal Arts General Studies Report

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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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