Real costs by region · Southwest · families earning $75,000–$110,000
25 Southwest colleges under $16,000 a year — if you earn $75,000–$110,000.
Across 116 Southwest colleges, families earning $75,000–$110,000 paid between $4,982 and $38,852 a year. The 25 cheapest are all under $16,000 — and every one of them is public.
| School | Type | Admit | Sticker / yr | This band paidPaid |
| Texas A & M International University | Public | 44% | $15,558 | $4,982 |
| The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Public | 94% | $16,830 | $7,972 |
| Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus | Public | 92% | $18,940 | $8,388 |
| Louisiana State University-Shreveport | Public | 51% | $19,461 | $10,359 |
| Louisiana State University at Alexandria | Public | 92% | $15,550 | $10,794 |
| University of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton | Public | 100% | $15,362 | $11,989 |
| East Central University | Public | 58% | $18,459 | $12,154 |
| Northwestern Oklahoma State University | Public | 65% | $18,672 | $12,638 |
| New Mexico State University-Main Campus | Public | 89% | $23,274 | $13,146 |
| Southeastern Oklahoma State University | Public | 76% | $18,594 | $13,275 |
| The University of Texas Permian Basin | Public | 95% | $23,886 | $13,294 |
| Lamar University | Public | 86% | $22,254 | $13,689 |
| University of Arkansas-Fort Smith | Public | 80% | $19,048 | $13,804 |
| University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | Public | 41% | $21,129 | $13,975 |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | Public | 100% | $19,836 | $14,093 |
| Texas Woman's University | Public | 96% | $22,234 | $14,094 |
| University of North Texas at Dallas | Public | 84% | $20,064 | $14,171 |
| Arkansas Tech University | Public | 96% | $22,808 | $14,675 |
| Texas A&M University-Kingsville | Public | 91% | $24,060 | $15,325 |
| Midwestern State University | Public | 94% | $22,652 | $15,365 |
| The University of Texas at San Antonio | Public | 87% | $22,352 | $15,446 |
| University of Houston-Downtown | Public | 90% | $20,749 | $15,488 |
| Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | Public | 75% | $24,951 | $15,654 |
| Louisiana Tech University | Public | 86% | $24,280 | $15,674 |
| Arkansas State University | Public | 82% | $25,082 | $15,839 |
"Paid" is the average net price reported to the U.S. Department of Education for aided families at $75,000–$110,000 household income — planning data, not an offer. Public colleges show in-state prices; out-of-state families typically pay more. Colleges enrolling fewer than 1,000 students are excluded, because federal price cells at very small schools are volatile enough to manufacture patterns that disappear at scale. A low price and a low admit rate are different things — the admit column is there so the two are never confused.
Same region, different income
under $30,000 · $30,000–$48,000 · $48,000–$75,000 · over $110,000
Same income, different region
Northeast · Mid-Atlantic · Southeast · Midwest · West
State by state
Arizona · Arkansas · Louisiana · New Mexico · Oklahoma · Texas
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