2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in the Southwest Region
With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Southwest Region Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking is part of that endeavor.
We analyzed 111 colleges and universities to determine which were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in the Southwest Region. It's important to note that this isn't just a listing of colleges and universities with the lowest sticker price. Instead, this ranking identifies schools that offer a high quality educational experience at a lower-than-expected price. Because of this, it is possible for one college to rank better than another, even if the latter college has a lower average cost.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
To calculate the average cost amount, we sum up the total expenses to attend a school - such as tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other living expenses. This estimate is meant to give you a better picture of how much money you'll have to pay each year, either through self-pay, loans, or external scholarships.
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We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors, such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those seeking diversity and overall quality.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another!
Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in the Southwest Region
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2021 rankings named Texas Tech University the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in the Southwest Region for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,599 students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.5 years for the average student at Texas Tech to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $30,478 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech is about $137,761. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
On top of its placing in our value rankings, Texas Tech also did well on our Best Colleges in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list means University of Houston is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Houston, Texas, the large public school handed out 7,631 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at U of H about 4.6 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $32,526. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from U of H be around $150,270. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. U of H excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges in the Southwest Region list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Southwest Region list. University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, Oklahoma and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 4,805 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average student at University of Oklahoma graduates in less than 4.5 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $39,485 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from University of Oklahoma is about $175,708. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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%. University of Oklahoma also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for the money in the Southwest Region . Oklahoma State is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,899 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Oklahoma State about 4.4 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $36,161 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State be around $159,832. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
Oklahoma State also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - West. The school came in at #5 in the Southwest Region on this year’s best value ranking. Located in Glendale, Arizona, the small public school awarded 932 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at ASU - West about 4.2 years to graduate, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $40,102 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from ASU - West is $169,631. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. ASU - West also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #6. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,098 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.3 years for the average student at UT Austin to complete their degree, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $46,983. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from UT Austin be around $202,027. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UT Austin also took the #2 spot in our Best Colleges in the Southwest Region rankings.
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Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. ASU - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 10,401 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at ASU - Tempe is 4.3 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $43,450 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $186,835 to get a bachelor’s degree from ASU - Tempe. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in our value rankings, ASU - Tempe also did well on our Best Colleges in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of North Texas landed the #8 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Southwest Region ranking. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7,639 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.5 years for the average student at UNT to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $32,021 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $145,375 to get a bachelor’s degree from UNT. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Texas State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #8. Texas State University is a large public school located in San Marcos, Texas that handed out 7,427 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Texas State about 4.6 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $31,745 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $145,710 to get a bachelor’s degree from Texas State. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
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Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large public school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 13,198 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Texas A&M about 4.4 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $47,177 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M is $205,692. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Texas A&M also made our Best Colleges in the Southwest Region list, coming in at #4.
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With a ranking of #11, Sam Houston State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. SHSU is a large public school situated in Huntsville, Texas. It awarded 4,343 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at SHSU is 4.5 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $30,141. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from SHSU is about $136,539. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Midwestern State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Wichita Falls, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,201 students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at MSU is 4.7 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $23,020 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from MSU be around $107,503. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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With a ranking of #13, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Located in Socorro, New Mexico, the small public school awarded 281 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.7 years for the average student at New Mexico Tech to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $33,797 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from New Mexico Tech is $159,522. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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With a ranking of #14, West Texas A&M University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Canyon, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,746 students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.4 years for the average student at West Texas A&M University to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $22,489 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from West Texas A&M University be around $99,401. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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With a ranking of #15, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is a medium-sized public school located in Odessa, Texas that handed out 910 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UT Permian Basin is 4.6 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $21,759 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from UT Permian Basin is $99,656. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Arizona State University - Downtown Phoenix came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the fairly large public school awarded 2,261 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at ASU - Downtown Phoenix about 4.2 years to graduate, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $45,129 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from ASU - Downtown Phoenix is $188,639. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in our value rankings, ASU - Downtown Phoenix also did well on our Best Colleges in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Southwest Region ranking. UTSA is located in San Antonio, Texas and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 5,655 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes about 4.7 years for the average student at UTSA to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $28,121 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from UTSA is $132,169. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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With a ranking of #18, Stephen F Austin State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Stephen F Austin State University is a fairly large public school located in Nacogdoches, Texas that handed out 2,231 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at SFASU about 4.4 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $29,527 per year to attend the school. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from SFASU is $131,100. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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Texas Woman’s University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. TWU is a fairly large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 2,061 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at TWU graduates in less than 4.6 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $27,845 per year to attend the school. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from TWU is about $128,644. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Northern Arizona University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, the large public school awarded 6,248 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
The average student at NAU graduates in less than 4.3 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $32,610 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from NAU is about $141,854. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Oklahoma City University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Oklahoma City University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that handed out 552 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At OCU, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.2 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $46,080 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from OCU is $193,536. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%. In addition to its great value ranking, OCU is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges in the Southwest Region list.
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The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #22. UT Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 4,225 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UT Dallas is 4.3 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $47,048 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from UT Dallas is $202,306. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in our value rankings, UT Dallas also did well on our Best Colleges in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. UT Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 4,519 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UT Rio Grande Valley is 4.7 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $27,731 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the UT Rio Grande Valley is $130,613. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
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University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in the Southwest Region list. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,321 students in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.7 years for the average student at UNM to complete their degree, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $34,360 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the UNM is $161,492. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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Tarleton State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #25. Tarleton is located in Stephenville, Texas and has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 2,530 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Tarleton is 4.5 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $29,296 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Tarleton is $131,246. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.
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%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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