Highest 20-Year ROI Colleges in Texas
The biggest 20-year net financial gain over a high-school-only earner — tuition and debt already subtracted. Our tax-verified answer to the 20-year ROI question, from IRS-linked federal earnings rather than self-reported surveys.
Showing Texas
Clear state| # | College | Type | 20-yr net gain | 5-yr earnings | Net price | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | DR Rating | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alvin Community College Alvin, TX | Public | $1,129,053 | $103,240 | $8,525 | $4,519 | +1,529% | Strong return | |
| 2 | College of the Mainland Texas City, TX | Public | $825,600 | $86,657 | $1,342 | $5,960 | +5,425% | Strong return | |
| 3 | Chamberlain University-Texas Houston, TX | For-profit | $818,901 | $92,768 | $32,209 | $20,919 | +250% | Strong return | |
| 4 | Trinity University San Antonio, TX | Private | $809,619 | $90,592 | $23,464 | $22,954 | +346% | Strong return | |
| 5 | Southwestern Adventist University Keene, TX | Private | $788,610 | $89,478 | $22,778 | $26,998 | +341% | Strong return | |
| 6 | Rice University Houston, TX | Private | $787,252 | $87,237 | $13,370 | $11,000 | +635% | Strong return | |
| 7 | University of St Thomas Houston, TX | Private | $748,082 | $86,639 | $19,359 | $19,928 | +392% | Strong return | |
| 8 | Galen Health Institutes-Dallas Richardson, TX | For-profit | $643,022 | $83,791 | $30,998 | $24,166 | +192% | Strong return | |
| 9 | Brazosport College Lake Jackson, TX | Public | $632,316 | $77,665 | $4,732 | $5,641 | +1,457% | Strong return | |
| 10 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX | Public | $594,872 | $79,331 | $21,315 | $17,804 | +274% | Strong return | |
| 11 | Southwestern University Georgetown, TX | Private | $591,694 | $80,885 | $29,224 | $25,000 | +185% | Strong return | |
| 12 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | Private | $578,326 | $82,450 | $40,892 | $19,500 | +119% | Strong return | |
| 13 | Lee College Baytown, TX | Public | $568,789 | $74,264 | $6,879 | $7,500 | +1,675% | Strong return | |
| 14 | Galen College of Nursing-San Antonio San Antonio, TX | For-profit | $544,378 | $78,480 | $29,104 | $24,166 | +167% | Strong return | |
| 15 | Galen Health Institutes-Austin Campus Round Rock, TX | For-profit | $540,046 | $78,480 | $30,187 | $24,166 | +158% | Strong return | |
| 16 | Galen Health Institutes-Houston Houston, TX | For-profit | $539,906 | $78,480 | $30,222 | $24,166 | +158% | Strong return | |
| 17 | West Coast University-Texas Richardson, TX | For-profit | $491,654 | $80,787 | $53,020 | $32,946 | +60% | Break-even | |
| 18 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | Public | $486,582 | $73,674 | $19,857 | $20,500 | +230% | Strong return | |
| 19 | University of Dallas Irving, TX | Private | $478,756 | $73,881 | $22,610 | $23,117 | +192% | Strong return | |
| 20 | LeTourneau University Longview, TX | Private | $448,265 | $73,524 | $28,185 | $26,000 | +133% | Strong return | |
| 21 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX | Public | $430,973 | $70,530 | $18,267 | $18,000 | +221% | Strong return | |
| 22 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX | Public | $397,889 | $68,004 | $13,951 | $17,527 | +270% | Strong return | |
| 23 | University of Houston Houston, TX | Public | $390,686 | $67,721 | $14,276 | $18,194 | +257% | Strong return | |
| 24 | Central Texas College Killeen, TX | Public | $386,390 | $65,469 | $10,265 | $6,750 | +790% | Strong return | |
| 25 | Lamar Institute of Technology Beaumont, TX | Public | $360,903 | $64,670 | $13,866 | $13,076 | +505% | Strong return | |
| 26 | Galveston College Galveston, TX | Public | $354,075 | $64,574 | $8,412 | $10,311 | +423% | Strong return | |
| 27 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX | Private | $335,765 | $69,512 | $36,660 | $21,500 | +59% | Break-even | |
| 28 | Texas A&M University-Victoria Victoria, TX | Public | $334,630 | $63,699 | $8,109 | $18,973 | +375% | Strong return | |
| 29 | Victoria College Victoria, TX | Public | $331,508 | $62,071 | $3,043 | $10,500 | +1,622% | Strong return | |
| 30 | Concordia University Texas Austin, TX | Private | $329,213 | $66,485 | $23,131 | $21,852 | +114% | Strong return | |
| 31 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | Public | $311,945 | $64,803 | $19,070 | $21,500 | +135% | Strong return | |
| 32 | Wharton County Junior College Wharton, TX | Public | $310,621 | $61,138 | $4,666 | $7,703 | +1,229% | Strong return | |
| 33 | University of Houston-Clear Lake Houston, TX | Public | $301,050 | $63,490 | $15,563 | $17,831 | +169% | Strong return | |
| 34 | Weatherford College Weatherford, TX | Public | $298,507 | $62,100 | $9,967 | $9,948 | +293% | Strong return | |
| 35 | Lamar University Beaumont, TX | Public | $287,492 | $61,635 | $9,366 | $21,250 | +268% | Strong return | |
| 36 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX | Public | $274,897 | $59,947 | $4,831 | $12,950 | +522% | Strong return | |
| 37 | University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX | Public | $274,679 | $61,184 | $10,542 | $18,750 | +230% | Strong return | |
| 38 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX | Public | $250,146 | $60,048 | $10,836 | $20,500 | +196% | Strong return | |
| 39 | Houston Christian University Houston, TX | Private | $241,053 | $61,591 | $20,629 | $22,642 | +83% | Strong return | |
| 40 | Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX | Public | $239,141 | $60,163 | $13,570 | $27,000 | +137% | Strong return | |
| 41 | The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX | Public | $214,989 | $57,958 | $9,403 | $18,000 | +193% | Strong return | |
| 42 | The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX | Public | $212,483 | $58,601 | $13,323 | $17,137 | +128% | Strong return | |
| 43 | University of North Texas Denton, TX | Public | $205,449 | $58,753 | $15,649 | $19,250 | +98% | Strong return | |
| 44 | Collin County Community College District McKinney, TX | Public | $204,431 | $57,152 | $8,969 | $7,500 | +215% | Strong return | |
| 45 | East Texas A&M University Commerce, TX | Public | $194,986 | $57,491 | $11,841 | $20,500 | +128% | Strong return | |
| 46 | Grayson College Denison, TX | Public | $191,356 | $55,967 | $5,880 | $12,250 | +292% | Strong return | |
| 47 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX | Public | $189,607 | $58,224 | $16,805 | $21,000 | +77% | Strong return | |
| 48 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX | Public | $188,063 | $57,239 | $12,090 | $22,934 | +116% | Strong return | |
| 49 | Baylor University Waco, TX | Private | $186,603 | $62,970 | $41,104 | $23,000 | +4% | Break-even | |
| 50 | Lamar State College-Orange Orange, TX | Public | $184,456 | $54,588 | $1,655 | $10,959 | +1,213% | Strong return | |
| 51 | Texas Woman's University Denton, TX | Public | $179,305 | $56,708 | $11,963 | $19,218 | +113% | Strong return | |
| 52 | Odessa College Odessa, TX | Public | $179,144 | $55,372 | $6,368 | $7,750 | +267% | Strong return | |
| 53 | The University of Texas Permian Basin Odessa, TX | Public | $177,840 | $56,760 | $12,723 | $17,750 | +105% | Strong return | |
| 54 | Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX | Private | $174,475 | $59,402 | $26,182 | $24,250 | +27% | Break-even | |
| 55 | Austin Community College District Austin, TX | Public | $173,214 | $55,130 | $6,390 | $10,499 | +245% | Strong return | |
| 56 | Saint Edward's University Austin, TX | Private | $172,990 | $59,217 | $25,578 | $24,803 | +28% | Break-even | |
| 57 | Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX | Public | $158,613 | $56,612 | $16,404 | $21,983 | +58% | Break-even | |
| 58 | Texas A&M University-Central Texas Killeen, TX | Public | $158,412 | $53,504 | $1,300 | $17,750 | +629% | Strong return | |
| 59 | Texas Wesleyan University Fort Worth, TX | Private | $158,249 | $58,147 | $24,066 | $23,125 | +26% | Break-even | |
| 60 | North Central Texas College Gainesville, TX | Public | $156,506 | $53,689 | $6,587 | $11,250 | +403% | Strong return | |
| 61 | McMurry University Abilene, TX | Private | $150,717 | $56,944 | $19,581 | $27,000 | +36% | Break-even | |
| 62 | Our Lady of the Lake University San Antonio, TX | Private | $149,982 | $56,243 | $16,442 | $24,999 | +50% | Break-even | |
| 63 | University of the Incarnate Word San Antonio, TX | Private | $148,721 | $57,483 | $22,775 | $27,000 | +24% | Break-even | |
| 64 | St. Mary's University San Antonio, TX | Private | $137,185 | $56,554 | $21,145 | $25,563 | +23% | Break-even | |
| 65 | Kilgore College Kilgore, TX | Public | $122,678 | $51,943 | $5,364 | $14,967 | +329% | Strong return | |
| 66 | Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX | Public | $121,979 | $54,563 | $15,225 | $23,000 | +38% | Break-even | |
| 67 | Wayland Baptist University Plainview, TX | Private | $121,420 | $55,610 | $20,590 | $23,106 | +17% | Break-even | |
| 68 | Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online Addison, TX | Private | $120,951 | $56,229 | $23,698 | $24,250 | +8% | Break-even | |
| 69 | Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, TX | Public | $120,568 | $51,628 | $4,337 | $9,104 | +453% | Strong return | |
| 70 | University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Belton, TX | Private | $117,681 | $56,579 | $26,106 | $26,000 | +2% | Break-even | |
| 71 | East Texas Baptist University Marshall, TX | Private | $117,504 | $56,081 | $23,911 | $23,250 | +6% | Break-even | |
| 72 | Amarillo College Amarillo, TX | Public | $113,934 | $51,430 | $4,600 | $15,000 | +338% | Strong return | |
| 73 | Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc. Houston, TX | For-profit | $113,629 | $53,251 | $23,096 | $14,267 | +61% | Break-even | |
| 74 | Texas Lutheran University Seguin, TX | Private | $113,234 | $56,048 | $24,654 | $25,000 | +3% | Break-even | |
| 75 | Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX | Public | $109,010 | $53,729 | $14,260 | $23,409 | +33% | Break-even | |
| 76 | Hallmark University San Antonio, TX | Private | $108,478 | $53,390 | $12,513 | $25,438 | +41% | Break-even | |
| 77 | Texarkana College Texarkana, TX | Public | $108,350 | $51,490 | $8,812 | $10,500 | +203% | Strong return | |
| 78 | Universal Technical Institute-West Texas Austin, TX | For-profit | $107,587 | $53,251 | $26,117 | $14,267 | +44% | Break-even | |
| 79 | Universal Technical Institute-Dallas Fort Worth Irving, TX | For-profit | $107,291 | $53,251 | $26,265 | $14,267 | +43% | Break-even | |
| 80 | Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX | Public | $106,026 | $51,302 | $3,637 | $15,000 | +215% | Strong return | |
| 81 | Navarro College Corsicana, TX | Public | $104,572 | $53,393 | $14,820 | $11,000 | +33% | Break-even | |
| 82 | Midland College Midland, TX | Public | $102,884 | $51,241 | $4,512 | $10,670 | +185% | Strong return | |
| 83 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX | Public | $102,883 | $54,658 | $20,783 | $19,606 | +7% | Break-even | |
| 84 | Panola College Carthage, TX | Public | $100,942 | $50,760 | $5,216 | $10,500 | +304% | Strong return | |
| 85 | University of North Texas at Dallas Dallas, TX | Public | $99,920 | $51,619 | $6,420 | $18,606 | +104% | Strong return | |
| 86 | Dallas Baptist University Dallas, TX | Private | $96,348 | $55,914 | $28,516 | $21,591 | -11% | Poor return | |
| 87 | Angelo State University San Angelo, TX | Public | $95,508 | $53,158 | $15,091 | $20,000 | +21% | Break-even | |
| 88 | Hardin-Simmons University Abilene, TX | Private | $94,075 | $54,065 | $19,555 | $24,711 | +4% | Break-even | |
| 89 | Texas Southern University Houston, TX | Public | $89,292 | $53,311 | $16,590 | $29,000 | +8% | Break-even | |
| 90 | Temple College Temple, TX | Public | $87,147 | $50,659 | $10,682 | $12,813 | +117% | Strong return | |
| 91 | Dallas College Dallas, TX | Public | $87,082 | $50,170 | $3,214 | $9,500 | +217% | Strong return | |
| 92 | Ranger College Ranger, TX | Public | $83,234 | $49,953 | $6,182 | $9,500 | +213% | Strong return | |
| 93 | Midwestern State University Wichita Falls, TX | Public | $81,232 | $51,776 | $11,656 | $21,030 | +25% | Break-even | |
| 94 | Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX | Private | $74,062 | $53,976 | $24,456 | $20,948 | -15% | Poor return | |
| 95 | Angelina College Lufkin, TX | Public | $70,354 | $49,295 | $7,773 | — | +176% | Strong return | |
| 96 | Schreiner University Kerrville, TX | Private | $56,940 | $52,572 | $21,507 | $23,250 | -20% | Poor return | |
| 97 | Frank Phillips College Borger, TX | Public | $54,672 | $48,702 | $7,953 | $9,500 | +91% | Strong return | |
| 98 | San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, TX | Public | $50,146 | $50,109 | $12,143 | $9,500 | -2% | Poor return | |
| 99 | West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX | Public | $38,626 | $51,184 | $19,487 | $19,500 | -27% | Poor return | |
| 100 | Lincoln College of Technology-Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, TX | For-profit | $37,125 | $50,395 | $33,250 | $11,730 | -24% | Poor return |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.
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