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 $4,831 against $49,620 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 10.3×, 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 | $4,831 | $49,620 | 10.3× | 49% | $9,987 |
| 2 | Rice University Houston, TX | $13,370 | $89,718 | 6.7× | 96% | $64,144 |
| 3 | The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX | $9,403 | $50,923 | 5.4× | 46% | $9,744 |
| 4 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX | $10,836 | $57,131 | 5.3× | 51% | $9,011 |
| 5 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX | $13,951 | $63,199 | 4.5× | 57% | $11,950 |
| 6 | University of Houston Houston, TX | $14,276 | $62,377 | 4.4× | 65% | $9,717 |
| 7 | The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX | $13,323 | $57,053 | 4.3× | 47% | $9,736 |
| 8 | Texas A & M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX | $12,090 | $51,450 | 4.3× | 46% | $9,892 |
| 9 | Texas A & M University-Commerce Commerce, TX | $11,841 | $50,296 | 4.2× | 46% | $10,026 |
| 10 | University of Houston-Clear Lake Houston, TX | $15,563 | $59,004 | 3.8× | 51% | $7,770 |
| 11 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | $19,857 | $75,121 | 3.8× | 88% | $11,688 |
| 12 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX | $18,267 | $68,227 | 3.7× | 71% | $14,644 |
| 13 | University of North Texas Denton, TX | $15,649 | $57,010 | 3.6× | 60% | $11,309 |
| 14 | Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX | $14,260 | $49,634 | 3.5× | 52% | $11,128 |
| 15 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX | $16,805 | $56,906 | 3.4× | 56% | $11,450 |
| 16 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | $21,315 | $72,097 | 3.4× | 84% | $13,154 |
| 17 | Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX | $16,404 | $54,211 | 3.3× | 55% | $9,228 |
| 18 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | $19,070 | $62,454 | 3.3× | 67% | $11,852 |
| 19 | Trinity University San Antonio, TX | $23,464 | $71,668 | 3.1× | 82% | $53,676 |
| 20 | Austin College Sherman, TX | $21,107 | $61,296 | 2.9× | 69% | $48,680 |
| 21 | Hardin-Simmons University Abilene, TX | $19,555 | $54,771 | 2.8× | 50% | $32,960 |
| 22 | Houston Christian University Houston, TX | $20,629 | $55,933 | 2.7× | 50% | $39,430 |
| 23 | St. Mary's University San Antonio, TX | $21,145 | $56,955 | 2.7× | 59% | $37,434 |
| 24 | West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX | $19,487 | $50,741 | 2.6× | 47% | $9,101 |
| 25 | University of Dallas Irving, TX | $22,610 | $58,285 | 2.6× | 68% | $53,930 |
| 26 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX | $20,783 | $53,040 | 2.6× | 51% | $8,302 |
| 27 | University of the Incarnate Word San Antonio, TX | $22,775 | $56,733 | 2.5× | 52% | $37,090 |
| 28 | Saint Edward's University Austin, TX | $25,578 | $58,826 | 2.3× | 64% | $51,384 |
| 29 | East Texas Baptist University Marshall, TX | $23,911 | $52,788 | 2.2× | 48% | $30,680 |
| 30 | Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX | $24,456 | $53,787 | 2.2× | 49% | $28,540 |
| 31 | Texas Lutheran University Seguin, TX | $24,654 | $53,863 | 2.2× | 55% | $36,230 |
| 32 | University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Belton, TX | $26,106 | $56,132 | 2.2× | 53% | $32,020 |
| 33 | Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX | $26,182 | $55,736 | 2.1× | 60% | $44,200 |
| 34 | Galen College of Nursing-San Antonio San Antonio, TX | $29,104 | $61,480 | 2.1× | 68% | $17,048 |
| 35 | LeTourneau University Longview, TX | $28,185 | $57,103 | 2.0× | 61% | $37,160 |
| 36 | Dallas Baptist University Dallas, TX | $28,516 | $56,807 | 2.0× | 60% | $40,190 |
| 37 | Southwestern University Georgetown, TX | $29,224 | $56,878 | 1.9× | 69% | $53,813 |
| 38 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | $40,892 | $78,354 | 1.9× | 83% | $67,040 |
| 39 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX | $36,660 | $68,424 | 1.9× | 86% | $61,740 |
| 40 | Baylor University Waco, TX | $41,104 | $65,793 | 1.6× | 80% | $58,100 |
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 $4,831 against $49,620 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 10.3× (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.