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