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.
Quick answer
The best-value college in Texas is The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg - a net price of $4,858 against $49,620 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 10.2×, 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 | $4,858 | $49,620 | 10.2× | 49% | $9,993 |
| 2 |  Rice University Houston, TX | $11,164 | $89,718 | 8.0× | 96% | $67,857 |
| 3 |  The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX | $6,803 | $50,923 | 7.5× | 46% | $9,772 |
| 4 |  The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX | $9,872 | $57,131 | 5.8× | 51% | $9,019 |
| 5 |  University of Houston Houston, TX | $11,439 | $62,377 | 5.5× | 65% | $9,717 |
| 6 |  University of Houston-Clear Lake Houston, TX | $11,852 | $59,004 | 5.0× | 51% | $7,770 |
| 7 |  The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX | $15,271 | $68,227 | 4.5× | 71% | $14,664 |
| 8 |  The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX | $13,476 | $57,053 | 4.2× | 47% | $9,736 |
| 9 |  The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | $18,554 | $75,121 | 4.0× | 88% | $11,656 |
| 10 |  Texas A & M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX | $13,212 | $51,450 | 3.9× | 46% | $9,892 |
| 11 |  University of North Texas Denton, TX | $15,358 | $57,010 | 3.7× | 60% | $11,309 |
| 12 |  The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX | $17,040 | $63,199 | 3.7× | 57% | $11,950 |
| 13 |  Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX | $14,788 | $54,211 | 3.7× | 55% | $9,228 |
| 14 |  Texas A & M University-Commerce Commerce, TX | $13,974 | $50,296 | 3.6× | 46% | $10,026 |
| 15 |  Texas State University San Marcos, TX | $16,660 | $56,906 | 3.4× | 56% | $11,481 |
| 16 |  Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | $21,527 | $72,097 | 3.3× | 84% | $13,154 |
| 17 |  University of the Incarnate Word San Antonio, TX | $17,483 | $56,733 | 3.2× | 52% | $38,650 |
| 18 |  St. Mary's University San Antonio, TX | $17,775 | $56,955 | 3.2× | 59% | $38,670 |
| 19 |  Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | $19,890 | $62,454 | 3.1× | 67% | $11,852 |
| 20 |  Trinity University San Antonio, TX | $22,962 | $71,668 | 3.1× | 82% | $56,496 |
| 21 |  Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX | $15,928 | $49,634 | 3.1× | 52% | $11,228 |
| 22 |  Austin College Sherman, TX | $20,077 | $61,296 | 3.1× | 69% | $50,014 |
| 23 |  Houston Christian University Houston, TX | $19,294 | $55,933 | 2.9× | 50% | $40,680 |
| 24 |  West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX | $17,909 | $50,741 | 2.8× | 47% | $9,664 |
| 25 |  Hardin-Simmons University Abilene, TX | $19,731 | $54,771 | 2.8× | 50% | $34,260 |
| 26 |  Texas Lutheran University Seguin, TX | $20,716 | $53,863 | 2.6× | 55% | $37,800 |
| 27 |  Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX | $20,525 | $53,040 | 2.6× | 51% | $8,302 |
| 28 |  Saint Edward's University Austin, TX | $26,034 | $58,826 | 2.3× | 64% | $51,890 |
| 29 |  East Texas Baptist University Marshall, TX | $23,414 | $52,788 | 2.3× | 48% | $31,760 |
| 30 |  Dallas Baptist University Dallas, TX | $25,954 | $56,807 | 2.2× | 60% | $41,870 |
| 31 |  LeTourneau University Longview, TX | $26,985 | $57,103 | 2.1× | 61% | $38,290 |
| 32 |  Galen College of Nursing-San Antonio San Antonio, TX | $30,273 | $61,480 | 2.0× | 68% | $18,740 |
| 33 |  Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX | $26,595 | $53,787 | 2.0× | 49% | $30,220 |
| 34 |  Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX | $27,943 | $55,736 | 2.0× | 60% | $45,800 |
| 35 |  Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | $39,816 | $78,354 | 2.0× | 83% | $69,722 |
| 36 |  Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX | $35,045 | $68,424 | 2.0× | 86% | $63,590 |
| 37 |  Southwestern University Georgetown, TX | $29,435 | $56,878 | 1.9× | 69% | $56,944 |
| 38 |  University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Belton, TX | $29,143 | $56,132 | 1.9× | 53% | $33,140 |
| 39 |  Baylor University Waco, TX | $44,441 | $65,793 | 1.5× | 80% | $63,620 |
| 40 |  University of Dallas Irving, TX | $68,064 | $58,285 | 0.9× | 68% | $56,630 |
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 $4,858 against $49,620 in 10-year median earnings - an ROI of 10.2× (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. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.