2022 Best Value Colleges for Economics (Income $0-$30k) 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 was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Economics is the 18th most popular major in the country with 48,831 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, economics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,295 and had an average of $21,978 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 2,902 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,669 and $20,712 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 29 colleges that offered a degree in economics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent economics 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 economics program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 26 Best Value Colleges for Economics (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 103 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, Rice has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $3,437 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rice.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Economics at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas A&M College Station is a large public school situated in College Station, Texas. It awarded 396 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M College Station did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $11,454 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M University - College Station.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 285 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
ASU - Tempe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $7,044 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 University of North Texas. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 59 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNT, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Texas is $8,521 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #6, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 523 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2019-2020.
UT Austin also took the #2 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $12,203 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Trinity University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 38 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Trinity U, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,373 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Trinity U.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
University of Arizona ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 283 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Arizona also took the #11 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,562 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Arizona.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #9, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UTSA is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UTSA also took the #20 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio is $10,516 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Economics at The University of Texas at San Antonio
Texas Tech University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 104 students in 2019-2020.
Texas Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $12,317 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas Tech University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Houston came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Houston is located in Houston, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 215 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
UH also took the #9 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UH is $10,203 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Stillwater, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.
OSU also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $8,669 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus.
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 more about Economics at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #13, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UT Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 79 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
UT Dallas also took the #8 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Dallas is $10,857 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 #14, Texas State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s economics degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas State, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,125 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas State University.
Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Arizona State University - Skysong is a large school located in Scottsdale, Arizona that handed out 28 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
ASU - Skysong also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $12,037 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Arizona State University - Skysong.
Read full report on Economics at Arizona State University - Skysong
Stephen F Austin State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Nacogdoches, Texas, and it awarded 1 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $8,650 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SFASU.
With a ranking of #16, New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico that handed out 29 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $6,896 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full New Mexico State University - Main Campus Economics Report
The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Arlington, Texas, this large public school awarded 54 degrees to qualified ’s economics students in 2019-2020.
UT Arlington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Arlington is $11,811 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 114 diplomas to qualified ’s economics students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Oklahoma has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $16,675 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #19, University of Central Oklahoma did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCO is located in Edmond, Oklahoma and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
UCO also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #25. The yearly cost to attend University of Central Oklahoma is $12,297 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Economics at University of Central Oklahoma
University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNM is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 66 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $13,242 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Dallas ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UD is located in Irving, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 ’s economics degrees to qualified students.
UD also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $15,759 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Dallas.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, Texas Lutheran University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Seguin, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
TLU also made our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Texas Lutheran University is $16,147 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
St. Mary’s University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. St. Mary’s University is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
St. Mary’s did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $15,338 for Southwest Region Economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend St. Mary’s.
Austin College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Sherman, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s economics degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.
Austin College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Austin College is $16,598 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Southwestern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. This small school is located in Georgetown, Texas, and it awarded 12 ’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.
Southwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Economics Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $20,296 for southwest region economics students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southwestern.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to pixabay.
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