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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.

$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.

Top 15 cheapest Texas colleges by average net price

Lower bars mean lower average net price after aid

avg net price

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

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals
# School Name Avg Net PriceMedian 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.