2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree School for You
Liberal Arts General Studies is the most popular major in the United States with 79,412 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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.
The Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 86 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for liberal arts 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 15% Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found New Mexico Junior College to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Southwest Region . Located in the town of Hobbs, New Mexico Junior College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at New Mexico Junior College are $2,280 per year. On average, liberal arts graduates from New Mexico Junior College take out $10,498 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Collin County Community College District. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the midsize suburb of McKinney, Collin County Community College District is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Collin County Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $5,104 in tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts majors at Collin County Community College District take out an average of $13,712 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Collin County Community College District also made our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list, coming in at #4.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means New Mexico State University - Carlsbad is a great value for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Carlsbad, NMSU Carlsbad is a public college with a small student population.
NMSU Carlsbad undergraduate students pay an average of $4,008 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from NMSU Carlsbad carry an average student debtload of $15,695.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend El Centro College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. El Centro College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Dallas.
El Centro College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,000 in tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from El Centro College take out $15,908 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
El Centro College also made our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list, coming in at #3.
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Out of the 86 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, New Mexico State University - Grants landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Grants, NMSU Grants is a public college with a fairly small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NMSU Grants are $4,104 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from NMSU Grants carry an average student debtload of $15,695.
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Amarillo College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Amarillo College are $4,704 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Amarillo College accumulate an average of around $16,403 in student debt.
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Tyler Junior College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Tyler Junior College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Tyler.
Tyler Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,440 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Tyler Junior College carry an average student debtload of $13,129.
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Odessa College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Odessa, Odessa College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Odessa College are $4,398 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Odessa College take out $12,266 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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McLennan Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the midsize city of Waco, MCC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
MCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,910 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at MCC accumulate an average of around $17,687 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, MCC is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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College of the Mainland ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the suburb of Texas City, COM is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COM are $3,873 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at COM accumulate an average of around $11,664 in student debt.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at College of the Mainland Report
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Lone Star College System did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public college with a very large student population.
North Harris Montgomery undergraduate students pay an average of $6,168 in tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from North Harris Montgomery take out $14,018 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, North Harris Montgomery is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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Midland College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Midland College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Midland.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Midland College are $5,880 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Midland College accumulate an average of around $9,387 in student debt.
Midland College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Hill College | Hillsboro, TX |
| 14 | Central Texas College | Killeen, TX |
| 15 | South Plains College | Levelland, TX |
| 16 | Houston Community College | Houston, TX |
| 17 | School Removed |
Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best liberal arts general studies schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 55,869 |
| Arizona | 8,087 |
| Oklahoma | 3,298 |
| New Mexico | 3,989 |
More Liberal Arts General Studies Rankings in the Southwest Region
Liberal Arts General Studies Related Majors for Liberal Arts
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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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