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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

58 Ranked Colleges
11,001 Degrees Awarded
$8,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 205,726 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, social sciences is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 14,301 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,155 and $22,401 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 11,001 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 58 colleges that offered a degree in social sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social sciences 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 social sciences program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Social Sciences Schools

The social sciences 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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 26 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#1

Rice University

Houston, Texas
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 58 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s 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. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 168 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Rice also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $3,437 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rice.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Rice Social Sciences Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UT Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 153 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $2,993 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at UT Rio Grande Valley

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M International University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This medium-sized school is located in Laredo, Texas, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,261 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M International University.

Read more about Social Sciences at Texas A&M International University

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Texas A&M University - College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 866 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Texas A&M College Station has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - College Station is $11,454 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 Social Sciences at Texas A&M College Station

#18 in overall quality

Out of the 58 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences 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 #5 spot on the list. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school awarded 344 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

UNT also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $8,521 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNT.

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

Read more about Social Sciences at UNT

#8 in overall quality

Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. ASU - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 871 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $7,044 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Social Sciences at Arizona State University - Tempe

#25 in overall quality

University of North Texas at Dallas landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of North Texas at Dallas is a public institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNT Dallas has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Texas at Dallas is $7,732 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Social Sciences at UNT Dallas

#24 in overall quality

The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. The University of Texas at San Antonio is a large public school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 299 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UTSA also took the #24 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at San Antonio is $10,516 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Social Sciences at UTSA

Texas Woman’s University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. TWU is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 90 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas Woman’s University is $6,706 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Texas Woman’s University

#2 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Texas at Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,076 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $12,203 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Social Sciences at UT Austin

#11

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#13 in overall quality

University of Arizona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. University of Arizona is a large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 615 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Arizona has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,562 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences 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.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of Arizona

#12

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
#14 in overall quality

Texas Tech University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 320 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech is $12,317 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Texas Tech

#13

Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas
#7 in overall quality

Trinity University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 94 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

Trinity U also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity University is $12,373 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 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. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Social Sciences at Trinity University

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. OSU is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 109 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

OSU also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend OSU is $8,669 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Social Sciences at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

#21 in overall quality

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is located in Odessa, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 54 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

UT Permian Basin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is $7,889 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Social Sciences at UT Permian Basin

#16

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, University of Houston did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UH is a large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 473 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UH is $10,203 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UH Social Sciences Report

With a ranking of #17, The University of Texas at Tyler did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tyler, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,797 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at Tyler.

Full UT Tyler Social Sciences Report

Southeastern Oklahoma State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a public institution located in Durant, Oklahoma. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Southeastern Oklahoma State University is $6,102 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Southeastern Oklahoma State University Social Sciences Report

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 199 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Dallas has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,857 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at Dallas.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Social Sciences at UT Dallas

#20

East Central University

Ada, Oklahoma

East Central University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Ada, Oklahoma, this small public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for East Central University is $7,787 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Social Sciences at ECU

#20 in overall quality

University of Houston - Clear Lake ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 68 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Clear Lake also took the #20 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UH Clear Lake is $4,517 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of Houston - Clear Lake Social Sciences Report

#22

Angelo State University

San Angelo, Texas

Angelo State University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Angelo, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 52 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Angelo State University is $9,799 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Angelo State

Texas A&M University - San Antonio did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Texas A&M University - San Antonio is a medium-sized public school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 167 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M San Antonio is $9,372 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Social Sciences at Texas A&M San Antonio

#24

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#16 in overall quality

Texas State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas State University is a public institution located in San Marcos, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 441 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas State, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,125 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas State University.

Read more about Social Sciences at Texas State

With a ranking of #25, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Texas at El Paso is located in El Paso, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 97 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at El Paso is $7,092 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UTEP Social Sciences Report

#25

Arizona State University - Skysong

Scottsdale, Arizona
#12 in overall quality

Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Scottsdale, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 526 students in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $12,037 for southwest region bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Arizona State University - Skysong.

Read full report on Social Sciences at ASU - Skysong

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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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