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by Travis Hendryx, Office of Public Relations

Sul Ross State University will wrap up 2019 as the third best affordable college in Texas for a bachelor’s degree according to a recent poll conducted by affordableschools.net.

The poll included the Top 20 public, private and junior colleges in Texas.

Sul Ross earned the ranking based on its average, annual in-state tuition of $6,816 and its student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1.

“Quality, accessibility and affordability have been hallmarks of Sul Ross State  University for 100 years,” said President Bill Kibler.

“This assessment affirms our continuing commitment to provide a high quality education to our students at an affordable price.”

Midwestern State University, located in Wichita Falls, ranked No. 1 in the poll while U.T. Permian Basin (Odessa), ranked No. 2.

RANKING INFORMATION FROM NCES (courtesy of affordableschools.net.)

Average Cost of Attendance

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the poll ranked tuition according to how much an in-state student would pay for one year of tuition if he or she were to take 15 hours of courses per semester.

Points:
Under $7,500: 3 points
$7,500 to $15,000: 2 points
$15,001 and above: 1 point

Student-to-Faculty Ratio

Poll information provided by affordableschools.net states that a school’s student-to-faculty ratio provides insight into its educational setting as well as the size of its classes. While this number does not always necessarily represent how many students are in each class, it does tell a great deal about the quality of academic support and whether students will have the opportunity to develop close relationships with their professors and peers. Although there are benefits and drawbacks to both large state universities and small private colleges, for the purpose of this ranking, it was determined that schools with the lowest student-to-faculty ratios and, therefore, the smallest classes would receive the highest number of points according to the information provided from NCES.

Points:
10:1 or less: 3 points
11:1 to 15:1: 2 points
Greater than 15:1: 1 point

Graduation Rate

The third and final metric on which points were based was each institution’s graduation rate. This number, provided from the NCES website, is used to measure student success and, inadvertently, student satisfaction. In other words, students who remained at the school in which they were enrolled, completed their program requirements and earned their degree were most likely satisfied with the school’s tuition rates, quality of faculty, and availability of academic support. On the other hand, students who left before finishing their coursework or earning their degree may have done so due to dissatisfaction with the program or school.

Points
More than 50 percent: 3 points
Between 30 percent and 50 percent: 2 points
Less than 30 percent: 1 point

RANKING 20 BEST AFFORDABLE COLLEGES IN TEXAS

20. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Brownsville, Texas

Points: 5

In-State Tuition: $7,813
Out-of-State Tuition: $17,773
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 19:1
Graduation Rate: 46 percent

19. Texas Woman’s University

Denton, Texas

Points: 5

In-State Tuition: $7,796
Out-of-State Tuition: $17,756
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 18:1
Graduation Rate: 43 percent

18. University of Houston-Clear Lake

Houston, Texas

Points: 5

In-State Tuition: $7,002
Out-of-State Tuition: $19,954
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 15:1
Graduation Rate: N/A

17. University of Houston-Downtown

Houston, Texas

Points: 5

In-State Tuition: $6,500
Out-of-State Tuition: $16,460
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 19:1
Graduation Rate: 20 percent

16. University of Houston-Victoria

Victoria, Texas

Points: 5

In-State Tuition: $6,491
Out-of-State Tuition: $16,451
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 16:1
Graduation Rate: 19 percent

15. Midland College

Midland, Texas

Points: 5

In-State Tuition: $4,290
Out-of-State Tuition: $5,550
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 17:1
Graduation Rate: 22 percent

14. The King’s University

Southlake, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $15,000
Out-of-State Tuition: $15,000
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 13:1
Graduation Rate: 33 percent

13. Arlington Baptist University

Arlington, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $13,690
Out-of-State Tuition: $13,690
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 9:1
Graduation Rate: 19 percent

12. University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $10,852
Out-of-State Tuition: $20,812
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 26:1
Graduation Rate: 53 percent

11. Criswell College

Dallas, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $10,710
Out-of-State Tuition: $10,710
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 8:1
Graduation Rate: 15 percent

10. Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $9,080
Out-of-State Tuition: $19,040
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 20:1
Graduation Rate: 60 percent

9. University of Houston

Houston, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $8,913
Out-of-State Tuition: $21,273
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 22:1
Graduation Rate: 59 percent

8. Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $8,296
Out-of-State Tuition: $18,256
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 21:1
Graduation Rate: 52 percent

7. Angelo State University

San Angelo, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $7,436
Out-of-State Tuition: $17,396
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 19:1
Graduation Rate: 34 percent

6. Texas A&M University-Texarkana

Texarkana, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $7,363
Out-of-State Tuition: $19,392
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 11:1
Graduation Rate: 28 percent

5. Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $7,292
Out-of-State Tuition: $17,252
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 19:1
Graduation Rate: 46 percent

4. Texas A&M International University

Laredo, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $7,176
Out-of-State Tuition: $18,064
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 22:1
Graduation Rate: 46 percent

3. Sul Ross State University

Alpine, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $6,816
Out-of-State Tuition: $16,776
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 12:1
Graduation Rate: 25 percent

2. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Odessa, Texas

Points: 6

In-State Tuition: $6,260
Out-of-State Tuition: $7,100
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 20:1
Graduation Rate: 41 percent

1. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, Texas

Points: 7

In-State Tuition: $9,233
Out-of-State Tuition: $11,183
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 18:1
Graduation Rate: 42 percent