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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

86 Colleges
$5,195 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,682 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Colleges.

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.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at New Mexico Junior College Report

The excellent associate degree programs at Collin County Community College District helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts general studies schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the midsize suburb of McKinney, Collin County Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Collin County Community College District are $5,104 per 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 took the #4 spot in our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region rankings.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend New Mexico State University - Carlsbad. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the rural area of Carlsbad, NMSU Carlsbad is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NMSU Carlsbad are $4,008 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from NMSU Carlsbad carry an average student debtload of $15,695.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at New Mexico State University - Carlsbad Report

#4

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means El Centro College is a great value for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. El Centro College is a very large public school located in the large city of Dallas.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at El Centro College are $6,000 per 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 took the #3 spot in our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region rankings.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at El Centro College Report

The excellent associate degree programs at New Mexico State University - Grants helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts general studies schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the remote town of Grants, NMSU Grants is a public school 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at New Mexico State University - Grants

#6

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX

Amarillo College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Amarillo College are $4,704 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Amarillo College accumulate an average of around $16,403 in student debt.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Amarillo College

#7

Tyler Junior College

Tyler, TX

Tyler Junior College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Tyler Junior College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tyler.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Tyler Junior College carry an average student debtload of $13,129.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Tyler Junior College

#8

Odessa College

Odessa, TX

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 medium-sized city of Odessa, Odessa College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Odessa College are $4,398 per year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Odessa College take out $12,266 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Odessa College Report

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 medium-sized city of Waco, MCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MCC are $5,910 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at MCC accumulate an average of around $17,687 in student debt.

MCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked 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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#10

College of the Mainland

Texas City, TX

College of the Mainland landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Texas City, COM is a public school 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

#11

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX

Lone Star College System came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Harris Montgomery are $6,168 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from North Harris Montgomery take out $14,018 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

North Harris Montgomery excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked 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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#12

Midland College

Midland, TX

Midland College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Midland College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Midland.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Midland College are $5,880 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Midland College accumulate an average of around $9,387 in student debt.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Midland College also is in the top 20% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

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 The University of Texas at Brownsville Brownsville, TX

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best liberal arts general studies colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Texas 55,869
Arizona 8,087
Oklahoma 3,298
New Mexico 3,989

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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