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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in the Southwest Region

41 Ranked Colleges
6,337 Degrees Awarded
$14,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region” ranking.

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 559,661 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 41 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 liberal arts / sciences and humanities program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in the Southwest Region

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Skysong. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Scottsdale, Arizona, and it awarded 342 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Skysong is $13,971 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at ASU - Skysong

#18 in overall quality

Out of the 41 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, West Texas A&M University landed the #2 spot on the list. West Texas A&M University is located in Canyon, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 202 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

West Texas A&M University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for West Texas A&M University is $12,761 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at West Texas A&M University

#23 in overall quality

Out of the 41 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus is a medium-sized public school situated in Portales, New Mexico. It awarded 148 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

ENMU - Main Campus not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $9,516 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus

#13 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A & M University - Central Texas. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region 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 also took the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Texas A & M University - Central Texas

#5

Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, Texas
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 41 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Wayland Baptist University landed the #5 spot on the list. Wayland Baptist University is located in Plainview, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 205 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, Wayland Baptist University has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wayland Baptist University is $25,152 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Wayland Baptist University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

Northwestern Oklahoma State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Located in Alva, Oklahoma, this small public school awarded 31 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,791 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at NWOSU

#25 in overall quality

Southeastern Oklahoma State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is located in Durant, Oklahoma and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 90 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, Southeastern Oklahoma State University has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southeastern Oklahoma State University is $8,237 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Full Southeastern Oklahoma State University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#8 in overall quality

University of North Texas came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. UNT is a large school located in Denton, Texas that handed out 618 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

UNT also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $15,086 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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 full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of North Texas

#9

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma
#24 in overall quality

Northeastern State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. NSU is a public institution located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 89 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NSU, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern State University is $9,994 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Northeastern State University

#10

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Texas Woman’s University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. This fairly large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 238 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

TWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas Woman’s University is $9,617 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Full TWU Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#17 in overall quality

University of Central Oklahoma landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Central Oklahoma is located in Edmond, Oklahoma and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 207 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCO, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Oklahoma is $16,562 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Central Oklahoma

#12

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, and it awarded 546 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

NAU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for NAU is $12,915 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

Full NAU Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#13

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas
#20 in overall quality

Sam Houston State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. SHSU is located in Huntsville, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 54 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SHSU, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sam Houston State University is $14,617 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

Full SHSU Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#3 in overall quality

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Oklahoma is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 336 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $21,145 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

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%. 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 / Sciences & Humanities Report

#15

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Texas Tech University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Located in Lubbock, Texas, this large public school handed out 237 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $17,571 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend Texas Tech.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Texas Tech University

#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. UTSA is a large public school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 166 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UTSA, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio is $13,853 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Full UTSA Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#12 in overall quality

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and it awarded 265 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OSU, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for OSU is $14,648 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

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

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at OSU

#18

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
#19 in overall quality

University of Houston landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students list, UH has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,838 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students per year to attend University of Houston.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at UH

#19

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas

With a ranking of #19, Tarleton State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. This fairly large school is located in Stephenville, Texas, and it awarded 99 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Tarleton State University is $18,979 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Tarleton State University

#20

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#16 in overall quality

Texas State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in San Marcos, Texas, and it awarded 164 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas State also took the #16 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas State is $15,230 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Texas State

#21

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Lamar University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. 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 / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Lamar University is $12,311 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Lamar University

#22

East Central University

Ada, Oklahoma

With a ranking of #22, East Central University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Ada, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,334 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend ECU.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at East Central University

Southwestern Assemblies of God University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #23. This small school is located in Waxahachie, Texas, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $24,982 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students per year to attend Southwestern Assemblies of God University.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Southwestern Assemblies of God University

University of Houston - Downtown did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #24. This fairly large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UH Downtown is $6,848 for southwest region bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Houston - Downtown

Texas A&M University - Commerce came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Commerce, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 133 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Commerce is $13,017 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students.

Full Texas A&M University - Commerce Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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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