Best Value Colleges in Texas
We estimate how many years the earnings premium over a typical Texas high school graduate would take to repay four years of net price. Across the 54 public and private nonprofit colleges that qualify, the estimate runs from 0.7 years at the fastest to 7.0 years at the slowest.
The median college needs 3.0 years to repay its net price, 0.2 years faster than the national median of 3.2 years. Public colleges (26) have a median payback of 2.0 years against 3.7 years for the 28 private nonprofit colleges, so public options tend to repay faster here.
Rice University ranks first at 0.7 years, ahead of Texas A & M International University (0.9 years) and University of North Texas at Dallas (0.9 years). Payback is an estimate, not a forecast: it assumes four years of net price and the earnings of past graduates, and it says nothing about your own major or career.
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Public and private nonprofit 4-year colleges
- Ranked by payback, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Texas
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- Graduation rate of 40% or higher
- A reported payback value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Texas has 54
- Data period
- Payback: years for the earnings premium over a high school graduate in the same state to repay four years of net price (shown only when the premium is at least $2,000).
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Graduate debt: median federal loan debt of completers, pooled 2020 and 2021 cohorts.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing the top 50 of 54 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Rice University Houston, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 0.7 years | $13,370 | $110,080 | $11,000 | 95% |
| 2 | Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX Public · 4-year | 0.9 years | $3,637 | $50,288 | $15,000 | 48% |
| 3 | University of North Texas at Dallas Dallas, TX Public · 4-year | 0.9 years | $6,420 | $62,574 | $18,606 | 43% |
| 4 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX Public · 4-year | 1.0 years | $4,831 | $53,888 | $12,950 | 50% |
| 5 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 4-year | 1.3 years | $13,951 | $79,176 | $17,527 | 55% |
| 6 | The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX Public · 4-year | 1.6 years | $9,403 | $58,771 | $18,000 | 48% |
| 7 | Texas Woman's University Denton, TX Public · 4-year | 1.6 years | $11,963 | $64,179 | $19,218 | 47% |
| 8 | The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX Public · 4-year | 1.6 years | $13,323 | $68,633 | $17,137 | 51% |
| 9 | University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 4-year | 1.7 years | $14,276 | $68,091 | $18,194 | 65% |
| 10 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 4-year | 1.7 years | $10,836 | $60,333 | $20,500 | 52% |
| 11 | Midwestern State University Wichita Falls, TX Public · 4-year | 1.7 years | $11,656 | $62,250 | $21,030 | 42% |
| 12 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 4-year | 1.8 years | $19,857 | $79,115 | $20,500 | 88% |
| 13 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX Public · 4-year | 1.8 years | $18,267 | $76,497 | $18,000 | 75% |
| 14 | The University of Texas Permian Basin Odessa, TX Public · 4-year | 1.8 years | $12,723 | $63,864 | $17,750 | 42% |
| 15 | Hallmark University San Antonio, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.0 years | $12,513 | $59,410 | $25,438 | 67% |
| 16 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX Public · 4-year | 2.1 years | $21,315 | $76,234 | $17,804 | 84% |
| 17 | East Texas A&M University Commerce, TX Public · 4-year | 2.1 years | $11,841 | $57,494 | $20,500 | 44% |
| 18 | Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX Public · 4-year | 2.1 years | $13,570 | $60,602 | $27,000 | 43% |
| 19 | Texas A&M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX Public · 4-year | 2.2 years | $12,090 | $56,982 | $22,934 | 44% |
| 20 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 4-year | 2.4 years | $19,070 | $66,144 | $21,500 | 68% |
| 21 | University of Houston-Clear Lake Houston, TX Public · 4-year | 2.5 years | $15,563 | $59,865 | $17,831 | 51% |
| 22 | University of St Thomas (TX) Houston, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.5 years | $19,359 | $66,137 | $19,928 | 69% |
| 23 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 4-year | 2.6 years | $15,649 | $58,743 | $19,250 | 60% |
| 24 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.7 years | $40,892 | $95,051 | $19,500 | 84% |
| 25 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 4-year | 2.8 years | $16,805 | $58,786 | $21,000 | 56% |
| 26 | Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX Public · 4-year | 2.8 years | $14,260 | $55,013 | $23,409 | 53% |
| 27 | Trinity University San Antonio, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.9 years | $23,464 | $67,249 | $22,954 | 83% |
| 28 | Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX Public · 4-year | 3.0 years | $16,404 | $57,044 | $21,983 | 55% |
| 29 | Angelo State University San Angelo, TX Public · 4-year | 3.0 years | $15,091 | $54,923 | $20,000 | 42% |
| 30 | Houston Christian University Houston, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.0 years | $20,629 | $62,310 | $22,642 | 49% |
| 31 | Concordia University Texas Austin, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.1 years | $23,131 | $64,701 | $21,852 | 42% |
| 32 | Our Lady of the Lake University San Antonio, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.1 years | $16,442 | $55,876 | $24,999 | 44% |
| 33 | University of the Incarnate Word San Antonio, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.2 years | $22,775 | $63,004 | $27,000 | 51% |
| 34 | University of Dallas Irving, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.3 years | $22,610 | $61,870 | $23,117 | 70% |
| 35 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.5 years | $36,660 | $76,188 | $21,500 | 86% |
| 36 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX Public · 4-year | 3.6 years | $20,783 | $57,758 | $19,606 | 50% |
| 37 | St. Mary's University San Antonio, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.6 years | $21,145 | $58,545 | $25,563 | 60% |
| 38 | Schreiner University Kerrville, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.6 years | $21,507 | $58,631 | $23,250 | 43% |
| 39 | LeTourneau University Longview, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.7 years | $28,185 | $65,664 | $26,000 | 60% |
| 40 | Austin College Sherman, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.7 years | $21,107 | $57,361 | $24,500 | 68% |
| 41 | West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX Public · 4-year | 3.8 years | $19,487 | $55,166 | $19,500 | 51% |
| 42 | University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Belton, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.0 years | $26,106 | $61,024 | $26,000 | 51% |
| 43 | Saint Edward's University Austin, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.1 years | $25,578 | $59,999 | $24,803 | 63% |
| 44 | Hardin-Simmons University Abilene, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.1 years | $19,555 | $53,769 | $24,711 | 48% |
| 45 | Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.3 years | $26,182 | $59,305 | $24,250 | 60% |
| 46 | Lubbock Christian University Lubbock, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.4 years | $24,456 | $57,061 | $20,948 | 50% |
| 47 | Texas Lutheran University Seguin, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.5 years | $24,654 | $56,629 | $25,000 | 55% |
| 48 | Southwestern Adventist University Keene, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.5 years | $22,778 | $55,144 | $26,998 | 47% |
| 49 | Southwestern University Georgetown, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.6 years | $29,224 | $59,994 | $25,000 | 71% |
| 50 | Baylor University Waco, TX Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.7 years | $41,104 | $69,608 | $23,000 | 80% |
How to compare these colleges
Treat the payback column as a way to compare schools, not as a promise about your own future. It uses the average net price, so your own cost may be higher or lower, and it uses median earnings of former students, which depend heavily on major. Check earnings for your intended program on each college profile, and favor schools where the graduation rate is high.
Guides worth reading first
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Same list in nearby states
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Best value colleges in New York
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All 147 colleges in Texas See the national version of this ranking