2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 121 schools in the Southwest Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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 Schools
Our 2023 rankings named New Mexico Junior College the best value school in the Southwest Region for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the town of Hobbs, New Mexico Junior College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at New Mexico Junior College are $2,280 a year. While working on their degree, liberal arts majors at New Mexico Junior College accumulate an average of around $6,495 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at Collin County Community College District helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the 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 $10,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Collin County Community College District also is in the top 10% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
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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 Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the rural area of Carlsbad, NMSU Carlsbad is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NMSU Carlsbad are $4,008 per year. Liberal Arts majors at NMSU Carlsbad take out an average of $11,832 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means El Centro College is a great value for liberal arts general studies students. El Centro College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Dallas.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at El Centro College are $6,000 a year. Liberal Arts majors at El Centro College take out an average of $11,286 in student loans while working on their egree.
El Centro College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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The excellent programs at Amarillo College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Amarillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,704 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Amarillo College take out is $13,830.
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New Mexico State University - Grants did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the town of Grants, NMSU Grants is a public school with a small student population.
NMSU Grants undergraduate students pay an average of $4,104 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at NMSU Grants take out is $11,832.
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Tyler Junior College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Tyler Junior College is a fairly 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. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Tyler Junior College take out is $11,000.
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Odessa College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Odessa, Odessa College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Odessa College are $4,398 per year. Liberal Arts majors at Odessa College take out an average of $7,945 in student loans while working on their egree.
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McLennan Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the midsize city of Waco, MCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MCC are $5,910 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at MCC take out is $13,505.
MCC also claimed a spot on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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College of the Mainland ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the midsize 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 degree, liberal arts majors at COM accumulate an average of around $10,276 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #11, Lone Star College System did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the midsize city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public college 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. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from North Harris Montgomery carry an average student debtload of $10,313.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, North Harris Montgomery also did well on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #12, Midland College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Midland College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Midland.
Midland College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,880 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Midland College carry an average student debtload of $5,500.
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With a ranking of #13, Hill College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the town of Hillsboro, Hill College is a public school with a small student population.
Hill College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,382 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Hill College carry an average student debtload of $11,875.
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Central Texas College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the suburb of Killeen, Central Texas College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Texas College are $7,440 per year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Central Texas College carry an average student debtload of $7,126.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Central Texas College also did well on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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South Plains College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. It came in at #15 on the list. South Plains College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Levelland.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Plains College are $4,276 a year. Liberal Arts majors at South Plains College take out an average of $13,487 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Houston Community College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the large city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Houston Community College are $5,460 a year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Houston Community College carry an average student debtload of $16,001.
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With a ranking of #18, New Mexico State University - Dona Ana did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the rural area of Las Cruces, NMSU Dona Ana is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NMSU Dona Ana are $5,664 a year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at NMSU Dona Ana take out is $11,832.
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Here are some additional great value schools for Liberal Arts General Studies students in the Southwest Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Grayson College | Denison, TX |
| 20 | Central Arizona College | Coolidge, AZ |
| 21 | New Mexico State University - Alamogordo | Alamogordo, NM |
| 22 | San Jacinto Community College | Pasadena, TX |
| 23 | South Texas College | McAllen, TX |
| 24 | Mesa Community College | Mesa, AZ |
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 |
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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