Best-Value Colleges in Texas
40 Texas 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment — 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price — among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
The best-value college in Texas is The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg — a net price of $6,500 against $49,620 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 7.6×, with a 49% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX | $6,500 | $49,620 | 7.6× | 49% | $9,859 |
| 2 | Rice University Houston, TX | $12,640 | $89,718 | 7.1× | 96% | $58,128 |
| 3 | University of Houston-Clear Lake Houston, TX | $11,056 | $59,004 | 5.3× | 51% | $7,746 |
| 4 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX | $11,234 | $57,131 | 5.1× | 51% | $8,991 |
| 5 | Texas A & M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX | $10,204 | $51,450 | 5.0× | 46% | $9,892 |
| 6 | The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX | $10,726 | $50,923 | 4.7× | 46% | $9,744 |
| 7 | University of Houston Houston, TX | $13,853 | $62,377 | 4.5× | 65% | $9,711 |
| 8 | Texas A & M University-Commerce Commerce, TX | $11,268 | $50,296 | 4.5× | 46% | $10,026 |
| 9 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX | $15,235 | $63,199 | 4.1× | 57% | $11,728 |
| 10 | The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX | $13,931 | $57,053 | 4.1× | 47% | $9,920 |
| 11 | University of North Texas Denton, TX | $14,352 | $57,010 | 4.0× | 60% | $11,164 |
| 12 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX | $17,435 | $68,227 | 3.9× | 71% | $14,564 |
| 13 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | $19,678 | $75,121 | 3.8× | 88% | $11,678 |
| 14 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX | $16,438 | $56,906 | 3.5× | 56% | $11,450 |
| 15 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | $20,924 | $72,097 | 3.4× | 84% | $13,099 |
| 16 | Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX | $16,025 | $54,211 | 3.4× | 55% | $9,228 |
| 17 | Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX | $15,152 | $49,634 | 3.3× | 52% | $10,600 |
| 18 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | $20,071 | $62,454 | 3.1× | 67% | $11,852 |
| 19 | Trinity University San Antonio, TX | $23,650 | $71,668 | 3.0× | 82% | $51,352 |
| 20 | Houston Christian University Houston, TX | $19,710 | $55,933 | 2.8× | 50% | $38,100 |
| 21 | University of the Incarnate Word San Antonio, TX | $20,498 | $56,733 | 2.8× | 52% | $35,660 |
| 22 | St. Mary's University San Antonio, TX | $21,352 | $56,955 | 2.7× | 59% | $36,242 |
| 23 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX | $20,261 | $53,040 | 2.6× | 51% | $7,878 |
| 24 | Austin College Sherman, TX | $23,451 | $61,296 | 2.6× | 69% | $46,500 |
| 25 | Hardin-Simmons University Abilene, TX | $21,031 | $54,771 | 2.6× | 50% | $31,686 |
| 26 | Saint Edward's University Austin, TX | $23,636 | $58,826 | 2.5× | 64% | $51,384 |
| 27 | West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX | $20,841 | $50,741 | 2.4× | 47% | $9,101 |
| 28 | Texas Lutheran University Seguin, TX | $22,587 | $53,863 | 2.4× | 55% | $34,920 |
| 29 | University of Dallas Irving, TX | $25,470 | $58,285 | 2.3× | 68% | $50,880 |
| 30 | LeTourneau University Longview, TX | $25,314 | $57,103 | 2.3× | 61% | $35,500 |
| 31 | East Texas Baptist University Marshall, TX | $23,790 | $52,788 | 2.2× | 48% | $30,050 |
| 32 | Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX | $25,910 | $53,787 | 2.1× | 49% | $27,298 |
| 33 | Southwestern University Georgetown, TX | $27,468 | $56,878 | 2.1× | 69% | $51,058 |
| 34 | Galen College of Nursing-San Antonio San Antonio, TX | $29,824 | $61,480 | 2.1× | 68% | $16,400 |
| 35 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX | $33,531 | $68,424 | 2.0× | 86% | $57,220 |
| 36 | Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX | $27,401 | $55,736 | 2.0× | 60% | $42,380 |
| 37 | University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Belton, TX | $28,690 | $56,132 | 2.0× | 53% | $33,150 |
| 38 | Dallas Baptist University Dallas, TX | $30,092 | $56,807 | 1.9× | 60% | $38,140 |
| 39 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | $41,778 | $78,354 | 1.9× | 83% | $64,460 |
| 40 | Baylor University Waco, TX | $41,942 | $65,793 | 1.6× | 80% | $54,844 |
How we ranked this
From every Texas four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price — the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys — highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Texas?+
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg has the highest return on investment among Texas 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $6,500 against $49,620 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 7.6× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) — with a 49% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance — a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Texas four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.