Texas ranking · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Cheapest Colleges in Texas

Looking for the cheapest colleges in Texas? Using College Scorecard data retrieved March-July 2026, these operating Texas campuses rank lowest on average net price among colleges with at least 1,000 students. Net price is what full-time, first-time Title IV recipients actually paid after grants and scholarships, not sticker tuition alone.

Compiled by PlainCollege , College outcomes data analysis

$1,300
Lowest average net price: 100
Texas colleges ranked: $21,145
#100 cutoff

The list in one line

The cheapest colleges in Texas on this list all report average net price of $21,145 or less after aid. Texas A&M University-Central Texas leads at $1,300.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$1,300
#1 - Texas A&M University-Central: $21,145
#100 cutoff on this list: 1,000+
enrollment required per school

Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients; see methodology for cohort details.

Texas A&M University-Cen…

$1,300
College of the Mainland

$1,342
Lamar State College-Orange

$1,655
South Texas College

$1,751
Lamar State College-Port…

$2,846
Victoria College

$3,043
Texas Southmost College

$3,085
El Paso Community College

$3,206
Dallas College

$3,214
Del Mar College

$3,399
Texas A & M International

$3,637
Trinity Valley Community…

$4,092
Coastal Bend College

$4,237
St Philip's College

$4,273
Tarrant County College D…

$4,337

What this shows Public regional campuses often dominate low net price in Texas - compare earnings and graduation rates before treating cost alone as value.

#	School Name	Avg Net Price	Median Earnings (10yr)	Enrollment
1	Texas A&M University-Central Texas	$1,300	-	1,750
2	College of the Mainland	$1,342	$39,639	3,368
3	Lamar State College-Orange	$1,655	$36,587	1,391
4	South Texas College	$1,751	$36,788	15,856
5	Lamar State College-Port Arthur	$2,846	$37,120	1,508
6	Victoria College	$3,043	$42,382	2,351
7	Texas Southmost College	$3,085	$41,900	3,372
8	El Paso Community College	$3,206	$35,212	24,214
9	Dallas College	$3,214	$41,714	43,869
10	Del Mar College	$3,399	$38,656	9,501
11	Texas A & M International University	$3,637	$48,386	6,667
12	Trinity Valley Community College	$4,092	$38,567	5,655
13	Coastal Bend College	$4,237	$35,086	1,958
14	St Philip's College	$4,273	$38,224	12,914
15	Tarrant County College District	$4,337	$42,727	42,300
16	Palo Alto College	$4,463	$37,448	8,801
17	Midland College	$4,512	$43,958	5,542
18	Northwest Vista College	$4,525	$42,490	13,993
19	San Antonio College	$4,585	$39,711	16,416
20	Amarillo College	$4,600	$41,302	7,399
21	Wharton County Junior College	$4,666	$44,960	4,585
22	Brazosport College	$4,732	$45,910	2,622
23	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	$4,831	$49,620	28,666
24	Northeast Lakeview College	$5,029	-	6,471
25	McLennan Community College	$5,051	$39,163	5,668
26	Panola College	$5,216	$36,072	1,388
27	Kilgore College	$5,364	$37,975	3,215
28	Houston City College	$5,737	$39,254	40,503
29	Laredo College	$5,798	$33,934	5,818
30	Grayson College	$5,880	$40,873	3,075
31	Howard College	$6,147	$38,382	1,611
32	Odessa College	$6,368	$42,026	4,654
33	Austin Community College District	$6,390	$43,177	30,189
34	Vernon College	$6,404	$40,464	2,113
35	University of North Texas at Dallas	$6,420	-	2,878
36	North Central Texas College	$6,587	$45,809	5,863
37	Northeast Texas Community College	$6,706	$37,870	1,973
38	South Plains College	$6,791	$41,276	6,005
39	Lee College	$6,879	$42,178	5,116
40	Southwest Texas College	$7,372	$35,563	3,306
41	Hill College	$7,577	$39,572	2,253
42	Paris Junior College	$7,690	$36,515	2,204
43	Angelina College	$7,773	$37,301	2,370
44	Texas A&M University-Victoria	$8,109	$54,467	2,513
45	Clarendon College	$8,390	$38,696	1,520
46	Galveston College	$8,412	$37,233	1,528
47	Alvin Community College	$8,525	$45,762	3,342
48	Texarkana College	$8,812	$34,647	1,502
49	Collin County Community College District	$8,969	$48,701	26,449
50	Lamar University	$9,366	$49,652	8,150
51	The University of Texas at El Paso	$9,403	$50,923	21,005
52	Cisco College	$9,624	$39,092	1,620
53	Weatherford College	$9,967	$42,397	5,094
54	Tyler Junior College	$10,206	$38,140	9,087
55	Central Texas College	$10,265	$40,995	6,247
56	University of Houston-Downtown	$10,542	$53,551	12,555
57	Temple College	$10,682	$38,678	3,178
58	The University of Texas at San Antonio	$10,836	$57,131	30,580
59	Blinn College District	$10,844	$46,318	15,535
60	Texas A&M University-San Antonio	$11,196	$54,338	6,599
61	Lone Star College System	$11,252	$42,466	45,188
62	Midwestern State University	$11,656	$55,747	4,087
63	East Texas A&M University	$11,841	$50,296	9,912
64	Texas Woman's University	$11,963	$56,544	8,767
65	Texas A&M University-Kingsville	$12,090	$51,450	4,748
66	San Jacinto Community College	$12,143	$43,062	22,969
67	The University of Texas Permian Basin	$12,723	$56,073	3,911
68	Texas A&M University-Texarkana	$12,997	$45,515	1,982
69	Sul Ross State University	$13,286	$41,871	1,396
70	The University of Texas at Tyler	$13,323	$57,053	7,440
71	Rice University	$13,370	$89,718	4,776
72	Texas State Technical College	$13,508	$38,916	9,437
73	Prairie View A & M University	$13,570	$45,411	8,877
74	Lamar Institute of Technology	$13,866	$38,991	3,055
75	The University of Texas at Arlington	$13,951	$63,199	32,294
76	Stephen F Austin State University	$14,260	$49,634	8,728
77	University of Houston	$14,276	$62,377	38,380
78	Navarro College	$14,820	$38,716	3,781
79	Angelo State University	$15,091	$50,116	5,643
80	Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi	$15,225	$51,865	8,034
81	University of Houston-Clear Lake	$15,563	$59,004	6,078
82	University of North Texas	$15,649	$57,010	34,341
83	Sam Houston State University	$16,404	$54,211	17,743
84	Our Lady of the Lake University	$16,442	$48,675	1,066
85	Texas Southern University	$16,590	$38,924	6,844
86	Texas State University	$16,805	$56,906	36,177
87	Southwest University at El Paso	$16,906	$29,648	2,073
88	The University of Texas at Dallas	$18,267	$68,227	21,751
89	Texas Tech University	$19,070	$62,454	32,394
90	University of St Thomas	$19,359	$59,224	3,220
91	West Texas A & M University	$19,487	$50,741	6,917
92	Hardin-Simmons University	$19,555	$54,771	1,283
93	McMurry University	$19,581	$48,779	1,176
94	Huston-Tillotson University	$19,719	$42,937	1,005
95	The University of Texas at Austin	$19,857	$75,121	42,855
96	Wayland Baptist University	$20,590	$51,838	2,041
97	Houston Christian University	$20,629	$55,933	2,886
98	Tarleton State University	$20,783	$53,040	12,673
99	Austin College	$21,107	$61,296	1,165
100	St. Mary's University	$21,145	$56,955	1,951

About This Ranking

Texas schools are ranked by average net price for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. Only operating colleges with enrollment of at least 1,000 are included so tiny specialty campuses do not dominate. The national companion is our cheapest colleges list. See our methodology for source vintage and cohort definitions.

Caveats and limitations

"Cheapest" here means lowest reported average net price among eligible Texas schools, not guaranteed cost for any one family. Your price depends on income, residency, and aid packaging.

For earnings-adjusted value in Texas, see best colleges in Texas. For the national best-value list, see best value.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Use each school's net price calculator for a personalized estimate.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.