Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration in the Southwest Region (With Aid)

34 Ranked Colleges
1,956 Degrees Awarded
$12,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 17,269 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 58th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $48,859 and had an average of $42,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 1,956 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,336 and $35,041 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 34 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration 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 public administration 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region public admin students with aid.

Top 26 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration in the Southwest Region (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Edinburg, Texas, and it awarded 72 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $4,514 for southwest region public admin students with aid per year to attend UT Rio Grande Valley.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at UT Rio Grande Valley

#2

South Texas College

McAllen, Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Texas College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid. South Texas College is a public institution located in McAllen, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $1,174 for southwest region public admin students with aid per year to attend South Texas College.

Read full report on Public Administration at South Texas College

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 Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid. Texas A&M International University is a public institution located in Laredo, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M International University is $3,074 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid.

Full Texas A&M International University Public Administration Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Tyler. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Tyler, Texas, this medium-sized public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

UT Tyler did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Tyler is $10,974 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid.

Read full report on Public Administration at UT Tyler

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Dallas. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. UT Dallas is a public institution located in Richardson, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Dallas did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Dallas is $15,232 for southwest region public admin students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Public Administration at UT Dallas

#6

San Antonio College

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Antonio College is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend San Antonio College is $5,882 for southwest region public admin students with aid.

Read more about Public Administration at San Antonio College

With a ranking of #7, West Texas A&M University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Canyon, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

West Texas A&M University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $12,761 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid per year to attend West Texas A&M University.

Read full report on Public Administration at West Texas A&M University

The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in El Paso, Texas, this large public school handed out 19 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

UTEP also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $8,920 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at El Paso.

Read full report on Public Administration at UTEP

The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UTSA is a large public school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 121 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UTSA also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend UTSA is $13,853 for southwest region public admin students with aid.

Read full report on Public Administration at UTSA

University of Phoenix - Arizona ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Phoenix - Arizona is a private for-profit institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 165 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UOPX - Arizona also took the #17 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UOPX - Arizona is $12,944 for southwest region public admin students with aid.

Full UOPX - Arizona Public Administration Report

The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. The University of Texas at Arlington is located in Arlington, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 133 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

UT Arlington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $14,246 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at Arlington.

Full The University of Texas at Arlington Public Administration Report

#12

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

University of Houston ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Houston is located in Houston, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $12,838 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid 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 Public Administration at UH

University of Houston - Clear Lake ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. UH Clear Lake is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Clear Lake not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,612 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid per year to attend University of Houston - Clear Lake.

Read more about Public Administration at UH Clear Lake

#14

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

With a ranking of #14, Texas State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Texas State is a public institution located in San Marcos, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 72 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas State also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $15,230 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid per year to attend Texas State University.

Read full report on Public Administration at Texas State University

#15

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

With a ranking of #15, Lamar University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Lamar University is a fairly large school located in Beaumont, Texas that handed out 2 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region public admin students with aid list, Lamar University has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,311 for southwest region public admin students with aid per year to attend Lamar University.

Read full report on Public Administration at Lamar University

#16

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

University of North Texas came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 76 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region public admin students with aid list, UNT has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNT is $15,086 for southwest region public admin students with aid.

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

Read full report on Public Administration at UNT

#17

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas

Tarleton State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Stephenville, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tarleton, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tarleton State University is $18,979 for southwest region public admin students with aid.

Full Tarleton State University Public Administration Report

#18

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

Sam Houston State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Huntsville, Texas, and it awarded 15 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

SHSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Sam Houston State University is $14,617 for southwest region public admin students with aid.

Read full report on Public Administration at SHSU

#19

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas

Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school handed out 133 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M College Station is $19,057 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Public Administration at Texas A&M University - College Station

New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. This fairly large school is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and it awarded 7 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend NMSU Main Campus is $8,659 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid.

Read full report on Public Administration at New Mexico State University - Main Campus

#21

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico

University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a large school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that handed out 48 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,446 for southwest region public admin students with aid per year to attend UNM.

Read more about Public Administration at UNM

#22

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 77 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Arizona also took the #15 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $15,016 for southwest region public admin students with aid.

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

Read more about Public Administration at University of Arizona

#22

Arizona State University - Skysong

Scottsdale, Arizona

Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Arizona State University - Skysong is a large public school situated in Scottsdale, Arizona. It awarded 14 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $13,971 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid per year to attend Arizona State University - Skysong.

Full Arizona State University - Skysong Public Administration Report

#23

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Texas Tech University is a public institution located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech also took the #18 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $17,571 for Southwest Region Public Admin students with aid.

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

Full Texas Tech Public Administration Report

Stephen F Austin State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Nacogdoches, Texas, and it awarded 8 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stephen F Austin State University is $13,723 for southwest region public admin students with aid.

Read more about Public Administration at SFASU

#25

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, Texas

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Corpus Christi, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M Corpus Christi is $16,332 for southwest region public admin students with aid.

Full Texas A&M Corpus Christi Public Administration Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

Featured Public Administration Schools

Find Schools Near You