2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is one of the most popular subjects to study in Texas. With 21,862 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 2nd out of all the majors we track in the state.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas ranking. This report analyzed 100 schools in Texas to see which ones offered the best value programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Nursing Schools
Our analysis found Lamar State College - Port Arthur to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Texas. Located in the city of Port Arthur, Lamar State College - Port Arthur is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lamar State College - Port Arthur are $1,770 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Lamar State College - Port Arthur take out is $33,385.
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Out of the 100 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, Amarillo College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Amarillo College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Amarillo.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Amarillo College are $3,168 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Amarillo College accumulate an average of around $21,240 in student debt.
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Out of the 100 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, Galveston College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Galveston College is a small public school located in the town of Galveston.
Galveston College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,950 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Galveston College accumulate an average of around $17,757 in student debt.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means San Jacinto Community College is a great value for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Pasadena, San Jacinto College is a public school with a very large student population.
San Jacinto College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,240 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at San Jacinto College take out is $12,750.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Collin County Community College District. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas list. Collin County Community College District is a very large public school located in the suburb of McKinney.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Collin County Community College District are $3,094 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Collin County Community College District accumulate an average of around $14,970 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, Collin County Community College District is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in Texas list.
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Alvin Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas ranking. Alvin is a small public school located in the large suburb of Alvin.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Alvin are $2,834 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Alvin take out is $15,511.
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College of the Mainland landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. COM is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Texas City.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at COM are $2,973 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from COM carry an average student debtload of $20,290.
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With a ranking of #8, Panola College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the town of Carthage, Panola College is a public school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Panola College are $3,672 per year.
Full Nursing at Panola College Report
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Tarrant County College District landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Tarrant County College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fort Worth.
Tarrant County College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,402 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Tarrant County College take out is $17,500.
Tarrant County College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in Texas list.
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El Centro College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas list. Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at El Centro College are $4,050 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at El Centro College take out is $18,559.
In addition to its great value ranking, El Centro College is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in Texas list.
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South Texas College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of McAllen, South Texas College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at South Texas College are $4,530 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from South Texas College carry an average student debtload of $9,273.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, South Texas College also did well on our Best Nursing Schools in Texas list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Wharton County Junior College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the town of Wharton, Wharton County Junior College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Wharton County Junior College are $3,624 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Wharton County Junior College carry an average student debtload of $14,006.
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El Paso Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas ranking. Located in the large city of El Paso, El Paso Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
El Paso Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,274 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at El Paso Community College take out an average of $17,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Lamar State College - Orange ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas list. Located in the midsize suburb of Orange, Lamar State College - Orange is a public college with a small student population.
Lamar State College - Orange undergraduate students pay an average of $3,192 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Lamar State College - Orange accumulate an average of around $21,557 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #15, South Plains College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the distant town of Levelland, South Plains College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
South Plains College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,892 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at South Plains College accumulate an average of around $12,750 in student debt.
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Request InformationHonorable Mentions
Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students in the state of Texas seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Clarendon College | Clarendon, TX |
| 17 | Northeast Texas Community College | Mount Pleasant, TX |
| 18 | Tyler Junior College | Tyler, TX |
| 19 | Lone Star College System | The Woodlands, TX |
| 20 | Houston Community College | Houston, TX |
Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southwest Region
Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southwest Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 12,966 |
| Oklahoma | 3,009 |
| New Mexico | 1,390 |
More Nursing Rankings in Texas
Nursing Related Majors for Nursing
One of 30 majors within the area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
| Public Health | 40,596 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.