Best value colleges in Texas
Every Texas college we have data for, ranked by 10-year return on investment.
411
Colleges
$17,686
Avg net price as of 2024
$45,395
Median earnings as of 2024
$13,655
Median debt as of 2024
Top colleges in Texas
Showing the top 150 of 411 by ROI — sort the table, or use the finder to filter all Texas colleges by cost, earnings and major.
| # | College | Type | 5-yr earnings | Net price | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | DR Rating | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Mainland Texas City, TX | Public | $86,657 | $1,342 | $5,960 | +5,425% | Strong return | |
| 2 | Lee College Baytown, TX | Public | $74,264 | $6,879 | $7,500 | +1,675% | Strong return | |
| 3 | Victoria College Victoria, TX | Public | $62,071 | $3,043 | $10,500 | +1,622% | Strong return | |
| 4 | Alvin Community College Alvin, TX | Public | $103,240 | $8,525 | $4,519 | +1,529% | Strong return | |
| 5 | Brazosport College Lake Jackson, TX | Public | $77,665 | $4,732 | $5,641 | +1,457% | Strong return | |
| 6 | Wharton County Junior College Wharton, TX | Public | $61,138 | $4,666 | $7,703 | +1,229% | Strong return | |
| 7 | Lamar State College-Orange Orange, TX | Public | $54,588 | $1,655 | $10,959 | +1,213% | Strong return | |
| 8 | Central Texas College Killeen, TX | Public | $65,469 | $10,265 | $6,750 | +790% | Strong return | |
| 9 | Rice University Houston, TX | Private | $87,237 | $13,370 | $11,000 | +635% | Strong return | |
| 10 | Texas A&M University-Central Texas Killeen, TX | Public | $53,504 | $1,300 | $17,750 | +629% | Strong return | |
| 11 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX | Public | $59,947 | $4,831 | $12,950 | +522% | Strong return | |
| 12 | Lamar Institute of Technology Beaumont, TX | Public | $64,670 | $13,866 | $13,076 | +505% | Strong return | |
| 13 | Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, TX | Public | $51,628 | $4,337 | $9,104 | +453% | Strong return | |
| 14 | Galveston College Galveston, TX | Public | $64,574 | $8,412 | $10,311 | +423% | Strong return | |
| 15 | North Central Texas College Gainesville, TX | Public | $53,689 | $6,587 | $11,250 | +403% | Strong return | |
| 16 | University of St Thomas Houston, TX | Private | $86,639 | $19,359 | $19,928 | +392% | Strong return | |
| 17 | Texas A&M University-Victoria Victoria, TX | Public | $63,699 | $8,109 | $18,973 | +375% | Strong return | |
| 18 | Trinity University San Antonio, TX | Private | $90,592 | $23,464 | $22,954 | +346% | Strong return | |
| 19 | Southwestern Adventist University Keene, TX | Private | $89,478 | $22,778 | $26,998 | +341% | Strong return | |
| 20 | Amarillo College Amarillo, TX | Public | $51,430 | $4,600 | $15,000 | +338% | Strong return | |
| 21 | Kilgore College Kilgore, TX | Public | $51,943 | $5,364 | $14,967 | +329% | Strong return | |
| 22 | Panola College Carthage, TX | Public | $50,760 | $5,216 | $10,500 | +304% | Strong return | |
| 23 | Weatherford College Weatherford, TX | Public | $62,100 | $9,967 | $9,948 | +293% | Strong return | |
| 24 | Grayson College Denison, TX | Public | $55,967 | $5,880 | $12,250 | +292% | Strong return | |
| 25 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX | Public | $79,331 | $21,315 | $17,804 | +274% | Strong return | |
| 26 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX | Public | $68,004 | $13,951 | $17,527 | +270% | Strong return | |
| 27 | Lamar University Beaumont, TX | Public | $61,635 | $9,366 | $21,250 | +268% | Strong return | |
| 28 | Odessa College Odessa, TX | Public | $55,372 | $6,368 | $7,750 | +267% | Strong return | |
| 29 | University of Houston Houston, TX | Public | $67,721 | $14,276 | $18,194 | +257% | Strong return | |
| 30 | Chamberlain University-Texas Houston, TX | For-profit | $92,768 | $32,209 | $20,919 | +250% | Strong return | |
| 31 | Austin Community College District Austin, TX | Public | $55,130 | $6,390 | $10,499 | +245% | Strong return | |
| 32 | University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX | Public | $61,184 | $10,542 | $18,750 | +230% | Strong return | |
| 33 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | Public | $73,674 | $19,857 | $20,500 | +230% | Strong return | |
| 34 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX | Public | $70,530 | $18,267 | $18,000 | +221% | Strong return | |
| 35 | Dallas College Dallas, TX | Public | $50,170 | $3,214 | $9,500 | +217% | Strong return | |
| 36 | Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX | Public | $51,302 | $3,637 | $15,000 | +215% | Strong return | |
| 37 | Collin County Community College District McKinney, TX | Public | $57,152 | $8,969 | $7,500 | +215% | Strong return | |
| 38 | Ranger College Ranger, TX | Public | $49,953 | $6,182 | $9,500 | +213% | Strong return | |
| 39 | Texarkana College Texarkana, TX | Public | $51,490 | $8,812 | $10,500 | +203% | Strong return | |
| 40 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX | Public | $60,048 | $10,836 | $20,500 | +196% | Strong return | |
| 41 | The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX | Public | $57,958 | $9,403 | $18,000 | +193% | Strong return | |
| 42 | Galen Health Institutes-Dallas Richardson, TX | For-profit | $83,791 | $30,998 | $24,166 | +192% | Strong return | |
| 43 | University of Dallas Irving, TX | Private | $73,881 | $22,610 | $23,117 | +192% | Strong return | |
| 44 | Southwestern University Georgetown, TX | Private | $80,885 | $29,224 | $25,000 | +185% | Strong return | |
| 45 | Midland College Midland, TX | Public | $51,241 | $4,512 | $10,670 | +185% | Strong return | |
| 46 | Angelina College Lufkin, TX | Public | $49,295 | $7,773 | — | +176% | Strong return | |
| 47 | University of Houston-Clear Lake Houston, TX | Public | $63,490 | $15,563 | $17,831 | +169% | Strong return | |
| 48 | Galen College of Nursing-San Antonio San Antonio, TX | For-profit | $78,480 | $29,104 | $24,166 | +167% | Strong return | |
| 49 | Galen Health Institutes-Austin Campus Round Rock, TX | For-profit | $78,480 | $30,187 | $24,166 | +158% | Strong return | |
| 50 | Galen Health Institutes-Houston Houston, TX | For-profit | $78,480 | $30,222 | $24,166 | +158% | Strong return | |
| 51 | Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX | Public | $60,163 | $13,570 | $27,000 | +137% | Strong return | |
| 52 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | Public | $64,803 | $19,070 | $21,500 | +135% | Strong return | |
| 53 | LeTourneau University Longview, TX | Private | $73,524 | $28,185 | $26,000 | +133% | Strong return | |
| 54 | The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX | Public | $58,601 | $13,323 | $17,137 | +128% | Strong return | |
| 55 | East Texas A&M University Commerce, TX | Public | $57,491 | $11,841 | $20,500 | +128% | Strong return | |
| 56 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | Private | $82,450 | $40,892 | $19,500 | +119% | Strong return | |
| 57 | Temple College Temple, TX | Public | $50,659 | $10,682 | $12,813 | +117% | Strong return | |
| 58 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX | Public | $57,239 | $12,090 | $22,934 | +116% | Strong return | |
| 59 | Concordia University Texas Austin, TX | Private | $66,485 | $23,131 | $21,852 | +114% | Strong return | |
| 60 | Texas Woman's University Denton, TX | Public | $56,708 | $11,963 | $19,218 | +113% | Strong return | |
| 61 | The University of Texas Permian Basin Odessa, TX | Public | $56,760 | $12,723 | $17,750 | +105% | Strong return | |
| 62 | University of North Texas at Dallas Dallas, TX | Public | $51,619 | $6,420 | $18,606 | +104% | Strong return | |
| 63 | University of North Texas Denton, TX | Public | $58,753 | $15,649 | $19,250 | +98% | Strong return | |
| 64 | Frank Phillips College Borger, TX | Public | $48,702 | $7,953 | $9,500 | +91% | Strong return | |
| 65 | Houston Christian University Houston, TX | Private | $61,591 | $20,629 | $22,642 | +83% | Strong return | |
| 66 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX | Public | $58,224 | $16,805 | $21,000 | +77% | Strong return | |
| 67 | Concorde Career College-Dallas Dallas, TX | For-profit | $53,874 | $25,299 | $9,500 | +64% | Break-even | |
| 68 | The King's University Southlake, TX | Private | $55,832 | $14,140 | $27,000 | +63% | Break-even | |
| 69 | Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc. Houston, TX | For-profit | $53,251 | $23,096 | $14,267 | +61% | Break-even | |
| 70 | West Coast University-Texas Richardson, TX | For-profit | $80,787 | $53,020 | $32,946 | +60% | Break-even | |
| 71 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX | Private | $69,512 | $36,660 | $21,500 | +59% | Break-even | |
| 72 | Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX | Public | $56,612 | $16,404 | $21,983 | +58% | Break-even | |
| 73 | Our Lady of the Lake University San Antonio, TX | Private | $56,243 | $16,442 | $24,999 | +50% | Break-even | |
| 74 | Universal Technical Institute-West Texas Austin, TX | For-profit | $53,251 | $26,117 | $14,267 | +44% | Break-even | |
| 75 | Universal Technical Institute-Dallas Fort Worth Irving, TX | For-profit | $53,251 | $26,265 | $14,267 | +43% | Break-even | |
| 76 | Hallmark University San Antonio, TX | Private | $53,390 | $12,513 | $25,438 | +41% | Break-even | |
| 77 | Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX | Public | $54,563 | $15,225 | $23,000 | +38% | Break-even | |
| 78 | McMurry University Abilene, TX | Private | $56,944 | $19,581 | $27,000 | +36% | Break-even | |
| 79 | Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Houston Houston, TX | For-profit | $52,893 | $23,529 | $31,875 | +35% | Break-even | |
| 80 | Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX | Public | $53,729 | $14,260 | $23,409 | +33% | Break-even | |
| 81 | Navarro College Corsicana, TX | Public | $53,393 | $14,820 | $11,000 | +33% | Break-even | |
| 82 | Saint Edward's University Austin, TX | Private | $59,217 | $25,578 | $24,803 | +28% | Break-even | |
| 83 | Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX | Private | $59,402 | $26,182 | $24,250 | +27% | Break-even | |
| 84 | Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Dallas Irving, TX | For-profit | $53,334 | $27,139 | $32,229 | +26% | Break-even | |
| 85 | Texas Wesleyan University Fort Worth, TX | Private | $58,147 | $24,066 | $23,125 | +26% | Break-even | |
| 86 | Midwestern State University Wichita Falls, TX | Public | $51,776 | $11,656 | $21,030 | +25% | Break-even | |
| 87 | University of the Incarnate Word San Antonio, TX | Private | $57,483 | $22,775 | $27,000 | +24% | Break-even | |
| 88 | St. Mary's University San Antonio, TX | Private | $56,554 | $21,145 | $25,563 | +23% | Break-even | |
| 89 | Angelo State University San Angelo, TX | Public | $53,158 | $15,091 | $20,000 | +21% | Break-even | |
| 90 | St Philip's College San Antonio, TX | Public | $47,467 | $4,273 | $9,500 | +20% | Break-even | |
| 91 | Wayland Baptist University Plainview, TX | Private | $55,610 | $20,590 | $23,106 | +17% | Break-even | |
| 92 | Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online Addison, TX | Private | $56,229 | $23,698 | $24,250 | +8% | Break-even | |
| 93 | Texas Southern University Houston, TX | Public | $53,311 | $16,590 | $29,000 | +8% | Break-even | |
| 94 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX | Public | $54,658 | $20,783 | $19,606 | +7% | Break-even | |
| 95 | East Texas Baptist University Marshall, TX | Private | $56,081 | $23,911 | $23,250 | +6% | Break-even | |
| 96 | Criswell College Dallas, TX | Private | $54,967 | $21,630 | $25,346 | +4% | Break-even | |
| 97 | Baylor University Waco, TX | Private | $62,970 | $41,104 | $23,000 | +4% | Break-even | |
| 98 | Hardin-Simmons University Abilene, TX | Private | $54,065 | $19,555 | $24,711 | +4% | Break-even | |
| 99 | Texas Lutheran University Seguin, TX | Private | $56,048 | $24,654 | $25,000 | +3% | Break-even | |
| 100 | University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Belton, TX | Private | $56,579 | $26,106 | $26,000 | +2% | Break-even | |
| 101 | Vernon College Vernon, TX | Public | $46,687 | $6,404 | $11,000 | +0% | Break-even | |
| 102 | San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, TX | Public | $50,109 | $12,143 | $9,500 | -2% | Poor return | |
| 103 | Del Mar College Corpus Christi, TX | Public | $46,506 | $3,399 | $5,500 | -4% | Poor return | |
| 104 | Lamson Institute San Antonio, TX | For-profit | $50,161 | $26,587 | $7,853 | -8% | Poor return | |
| 105 | Dallas Baptist University Dallas, TX | Private | $55,914 | $28,516 | $21,591 | -11% | Poor return | |
| 106 | Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX | Private | $53,976 | $24,456 | $20,948 | -15% | Poor return | |
| 107 | South University-Austin Round Rock, TX | For-profit | $54,466 | $25,680 | $26,123 | -16% | Poor return | |
| 108 | Schreiner University Kerrville, TX | Private | $52,572 | $21,507 | $23,250 | -20% | Poor return | |
| 109 | Texas A&M University-Texarkana Texarkana, TX | Public | $49,644 | $12,997 | $18,953 | -21% | Poor return | |
| 110 | Lincoln College of Technology-Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, TX | For-profit | $50,395 | $33,250 | $11,730 | -24% | Poor return | |
| 111 | West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX | Public | $51,184 | $19,487 | $19,500 | -27% | Poor return | |
| 112 | Austin College Sherman, TX | Private | $51,010 | $21,107 | $24,500 | -36% | Poor return | |
| 113 | Dallas Institute of Funeral Service Dallas, TX | Private | $48,032 | $22,825 | $12,820 | -40% | Poor return | |
| 114 | American InterContinental University-Houston Houston, TX | For-profit | $50,241 | $20,249 | $31,000 | -43% | Poor return | |
| 115 | Blinn College District Brenham, TX | Public | $46,168 | $10,844 | $11,500 | -55% | Poor return | |
| 116 | School of Automotive Machinists & Technology Houston, TX | For-profit | $47,651 | $28,242 | $9,500 | -56% | Poor return | |
| 117 | Parker University Dallas, TX | Private | $49,895 | $29,135 | $12,288 | -60% | Poor return | |
| 118 | McLennan Community College Waco, TX | Public | $45,561 | $5,051 | $10,500 | -60% | Poor return | |
| 119 | Western Technical College El Paso, TX | For-profit | $49,520 | $28,004 | $17,277 | -62% | Poor return | |
| 120 | Ocean Corporation Houston, TX | For-profit | $46,336 | $32,280 | $9,500 | -63% | Poor return | |
| 121 | Dallas Christian College Dallas, TX | Private | $48,018 | $22,960 | $24,912 | -70% | Poor return | |
| 122 | Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX | Public | $45,987 | $11,252 | $8,600 | -80% | Poor return | |
| 123 | Nelson University Waxahachie, TX | Private | $46,944 | $21,662 | $24,725 | -80% | Poor return | |
| 124 | Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service Houston, TX | Private | $46,118 | $44,047 | $9,500 | -88% | Poor return | |
| 125 | Houston City College Houston, TX | Public | $45,341 | $5,737 | $13,921 | -88% | Poor return | |
| 126 | Howard Payne University Brownwood, TX | Private | $46,147 | $23,627 | $26,793 | -89% | Poor return | |
| 127 | Center for Advanced Legal Studies Houston, TX | For-profit | $44,847 | $13,959 | $9,500 | -103% | Poor return | |
| 128 | San Antonio College San Antonio, TX | Public | $44,786 | $4,585 | $10,500 | -110% | Poor return | |
| 129 | Concorde Career College-San Antonio San Antonio, TX | For-profit | $44,084 | $26,599 | $9,500 | -116% | Poor return | |
| 130 | Lamar State College-Port Arthur Port Arthur, TX | Public | $44,726 | $2,846 | $13,250 | -126% | Poor return | |
| 131 | Tyler Junior College Tyler, TX | Public | $43,772 | $10,206 | $11,995 | -127% | Poor return | |
| 132 | Texas State Technical College Waco, TX | Public | $43,861 | $13,508 | $9,500 | -137% | Poor return | |
| 133 | Concorde Career College-Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, TX | For-profit | $41,411 | $31,288 | $9,500 | -154% | Poor return | |
| 134 | Tulsa Welding School-Dallas Campus Irving, TX | For-profit | $42,714 | $34,533 | $9,500 | -160% | Poor return | |
| 135 | Tulsa Welding School-Houston Houston, TX | For-profit | $40,492 | $35,101 | $9,500 | -161% | Poor return | |
| 136 | Remington College-Dallas Campus Dallas, TX | Private | $35,847 | $29,805 | $13,271 | -174% | Poor return | |
| 137 | The College of Health Care Professions-Northwest Houston, TX | For-profit | $35,642 | $27,830 | $9,500 | -182% | Poor return | |
| 138 | South Plains College Levelland, TX | Public | $43,542 | $6,791 | $10,500 | -184% | Poor return | |
| 139 | Northeast Texas Community College Mount Pleasant, TX | Public | $43,498 | $6,706 | $10,946 | -186% | Poor return | |
| 140 | Rio Grande Valley College Pharr, TX | For-profit | $41,143 | $19,500 | $12,359 | -189% | Poor return | |
| 141 | Hill College Hillsboro, TX | Public | $43,210 | $7,577 | $10,000 | -195% | Poor return | |
| 142 | Northwest Vista College San Antonio, TX | Public | $42,861 | $4,525 | $9,400 | -199% | Poor return | |
| 143 | Wiley University Marshall, TX | Private | $41,057 | $7,092 | $24,989 | -205% | Poor return | |
| 144 | Wade College Dallas, TX | For-profit | $35,027 | $20,778 | $22,938 | -209% | Poor return | |
| 145 | Fortis College Houston, TX | For-profit | $38,187 | $27,964 | $9,500 | -215% | Poor return | |
| 146 | Culinary Institute Inc Houston, TX | For-profit | $28,638 | $30,428 | $16,004 | -228% | Poor return | |
| 147 | Clarendon College Clarendon, TX | Public | $42,230 | $8,390 | $11,000 | -233% | Poor return | |
| 148 | The College of Health Care Professions-San Antonio San Antonio, TX | For-profit | $36,751 | $28,106 | $9,500 | -238% | Poor return | |
| 149 | Pima Medical Institute-Houston Houston, TX | For-profit | $38,086 | $21,396 | $9,500 | -250% | Poor return | |
| 150 | Arlington Career Institute Arlington, TX | For-profit | $37,083 | $24,633 | $8,347 | -251% | Poor return |
Browse by city
Houston (61)San Antonio (44)Dallas (32)Austin (24)Fort Worth (10)El Paso (10)Arlington (9)Irving (8)McAllen (7)Lubbock (6)Brownsville (6)Richardson (5)Laredo (5)Corpus Christi (5)Abilene (5)Waco (4)Victoria (4)Texarkana (4)Lufkin (4)Grand Prairie (4)Beaumont (4)Weslaco (3)Tyler (3)Round Rock (3)Pharr (3)Pasadena (3)Killeen (3)Harlingen (3)Garland (3)Denton (3)Bryan (3)Brenham (3)Amarillo (3)Uvalde (2)The Woodlands (2)Temple (2)Stafford (2)Sherman (2)Seguin (2)San Marcos (2)
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.