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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Economics in the Southwest Region

29 Ranked Colleges
2,397 Degrees Awarded
$16,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,397 economics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region” ranking analyzed 29 colleges that offered a degree in economics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality economics 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 economics 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

The economics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Economics in the Southwest Region

#16 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 Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Scottsdale, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Skysong is $13,971 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

Read more about Economics at Arizona State University - Skysong

#2

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region. University of Houston is located in Houston, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 166 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.

UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UH is $12,838 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

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 Economics at University of Houston

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Texas landed the #3 spot on the list. Denton, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNT, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Texas is $15,086 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

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

Read more about Economics at University of North Texas

#24 in overall quality

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Oklahoma landed the #4 spot on the list. Edmond, Oklahoma is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

UCO also took the #24 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $16,562 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend UCO.

Read more about Economics at University of Central Oklahoma

#5

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Tech University landed the #5 spot on the list. Texas Tech University is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 98 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.

Texas Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech University is $17,571 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

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 Texas Tech Economics Report

With a ranking of #6, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 15 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

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 UT Rio Grande Valley

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school handed out 83 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is $21,145 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

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

Read full report on Economics at University of Oklahoma

#14 in overall quality

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

OSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $14,648 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

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

Full OSU Economics Report

#9

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

With a ranking of #9, Texas State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Texas State is a public institution located in San Marcos, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas State also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $15,230 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend Texas State.

Full Texas State University Economics Report

Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. ASU - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 273 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $11,706 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

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

Read more about Economics at Arizona State University - Tempe

Stephen F Austin State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Nacogdoches, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,723 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend SFASU.

Full SFASU Economics Report

The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #12. The University of Texas at Arlington is located in Arlington, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 41 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.

UT Arlington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Arlington is $14,246 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

Read more about Economics at UT Arlington

#13

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

University of New Mexico - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this large public school handed out 48 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s economics students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,446 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students per year to attend University of New Mexico - Main Campus.

Read full report on Economics at University of New Mexico - Main Campus

#14

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, Texas

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M Corpus Christi is located in Corpus Christi, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is $16,332 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

Full Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi Economics Report

#15

Texas Lutheran University

Seguin, Texas
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Texas Lutheran University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. Texas Lutheran University is located in Seguin, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s economics degrees to qualified students.

TLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Lutheran University is $19,223 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

Full Texas Lutheran University Economics Report

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 450 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students list, UT Austin has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $18,023 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about Economics at The University of Texas at Austin

New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #17. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It awarded 13 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $8,659 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

Full New Mexico State University - Main Campus Economics Report

#18

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas

Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 276 bachelors’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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $19,057 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend Texas A&M College Station.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.

Read full report on Economics at Texas A&M College Station

#19

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 241 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Arizona, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $15,016 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

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

Read more about Economics at University of Arizona

#20

St. Mary's University

San Antonio, Texas
#23 in overall quality

St. Mary’s University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region 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 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students list, St. Mary’s has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Mary’s is $19,276 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

Full St. Mary’s University Economics Report

The University of Texas at Dallas ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas at Dallas is a public institution located in Richardson, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Dallas not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Dallas is $15,232 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Economics at The University of Texas at Dallas

#22

Austin College

Sherman, Texas

Austin College landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Austin College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sherman, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Austin College, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Austin College is $21,357 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

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%.

Full Austin College Economics Report

#23

Southwestern University

Georgetown, Texas
#13 in overall quality

Southwestern University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Southwestern University is a small school located in Georgetown, Texas that handed out 12 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Southwestern also took the #13 spot in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southwestern University is $25,470 for southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%. 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 Economics at Southwestern University

#24

Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas

Trinity University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Trinity University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 38 bachelors’s economics degrees in 2019-2020.

Trinity U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Trinity U is $24,669 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Economics at Trinity U

#25

Rice University

Houston, Texas

Rice University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Economics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region ranking. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s economics degrees to 86 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree economics students list, Rice has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Economics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $16,999 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Economics students per year to attend Rice University.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Rice Economics 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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to pixabay.

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