State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard

Cheapest Colleges in Texas

Private campuses outnumber public ones on this Texas list (243 vs 94); College of Biblical Studies-Houston still leads on average net price at $672.

$672
Cheapest net price
$18,267
Texas median
337
Schools ranked

College of Biblical Studies-Houston has the lowest average net price in Texas among Scorecard reporters

According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, College of Biblical Studies-Houston posts the lowest average net price in Texas at $672 among 337 ranked schools, with the state median 7% above the $17,124 national median. Net price is what students paid after grant aid, not sticker tuition, and can reflect a narrow enrollment mix at specialty schools.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard

Cheapest net price
$672
Texas median
$18,267
Schools ranked
337
National median
$17,124

Data updated August 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage

The list in one line

College of Biblical Studies-Houston has the lowest average net price in Texas at $672/year, and the state's median net price is 7% above the $17,124 national median across 4,965 schools.

$672
cheapest ranked net price
$18,267
Texas median net price
94 public / 243 private
schools in this ranking
$16,194
avg net price, <$30K income families

Average net price blends every income bracket; families under $30k average $16,194 here. Loans are excluded, open a school profile for the bracket table before treating one average as a personal cost.

Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at Rice University, where in-state published tuition of $64,144 falls to an average net price of $13,370 after aid, a $50,774 gap, the widest sticker-to-net gap among ranked Texas schools.

Private campuses outnumber public ones here (243 vs 94). A low figure at a small religious or specialty school can reflect a narrow enrollment mix, check sector and enrollment beside the price.

The bar to make this top-25 list is $4,525. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 337 Scorecard-reporting Texas schools:

The bar to make Texas's top-25 cheapest list

Average net price after aid · 337 Scorecard-reporting schools

$4,525 Among the most affordable more affordable than 93% of 337 Texas colleges

Show national distribution $0–$5,000: 30 Texas colleges (9%). This entry sits in this band. $5,000–$10,000: 44 Texas colleges (13%). Above this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 60 Texas colleges (18%). Above this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 62 Texas colleges (18%). Above this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 72 Texas colleges (21%). Above this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 47 Texas colleges (14%). Above this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 15 Texas colleges (4%). Above this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 4 Texas colleges (1%). Above this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 3 Texas colleges (1%). Above this entry. #25 cutoff $0 $45,000 every ranked Texas college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more Texas colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2022–23

Texas's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price

3
College of the MainlandTexas City, TX · Public
Avg net price
$1,342
Net price (<$30K income)
$1,352
Median debt
$5,960
Median earnings, 6yr
$36,164
Enrollment
5,127
4
Lamar State College-OrangeOrange, TX · Public
Avg net price
$1,655
Net price (<$30K income)
$384
Median debt
$10,959
Median earnings, 6yr
$35,553
Enrollment
3,629
5
South Texas CollegeMcallen, TX · Public
Avg net price
$1,751
Net price (<$30K income)
$1,395
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$28,239
Enrollment
27,431
6
Barber Education AcademyLaredo, TX · Private for-profit
Avg net price
$2,221
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,167
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
-
Enrollment
37
7
Institute of Allied HealthcareSan Antonio, TX · Private for-profit
Avg net price
$2,430
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,430
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
-
Enrollment
60
8
Southwest College for the DeafBig Spring, TX · Public
Avg net price
$2,458
Net price (<$30K income)
$900
Median debt
$9,500
Median earnings, 6yr
$32,428
Enrollment
47
9
Lamar State College-Port ArthurPort Arthur, TX · Public
Avg net price
$2,846
Net price (<$30K income)
$1,137
Median debt
$13,250
Median earnings, 6yr
$29,746
Enrollment
4,680
10
Texas Beauty CollegeHaltom City, TX · Private for-profit
Avg net price
$2,933
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,933
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$22,494
Enrollment
38
11
Victoria CollegeVictoria, TX · Public
Avg net price
$3,043
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,144
Median debt
$10,500
Median earnings, 6yr
$34,679
Enrollment
3,276
12
Texas Southmost CollegeBrownsville, TX · Public
Avg net price
$3,085
Net price (<$30K income)
$1,696
Median debt
$9,000
Median earnings, 6yr
$33,992
Enrollment
8,828
13
El Paso Community CollegeEl Paso, TX · Public
Avg net price
$3,206
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,509
Median debt
$6,566
Median earnings, 6yr
$28,765
Enrollment
25,567
14
Dallas CollegeDallas, TX · Public
Avg net price
$3,214
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,120
Median debt
$9,500
Median earnings, 6yr
$35,493
Enrollment
69,749
15
Del Mar CollegeCorpus Christi, TX · Public
Avg net price
$3,399
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,541
Median debt
$5,500
Median earnings, 6yr
$32,526
Enrollment
10,256
16
Western Texas CollegeSnyder, TX · Public
Avg net price
$3,562
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,703
Median debt
$7,515
Median earnings, 6yr
$35,926
Enrollment
1,385
18
Avg net price
$4,092
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,338
Median debt
$10,426
Median earnings, 6yr
$32,725
Enrollment
5,961
19
Coastal Bend CollegeBeeville, TX · Public
Avg net price
$4,237
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,175
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
$29,547
Enrollment
4,259
20
St Philip's CollegeSan Antonio, TX · Public
Avg net price
$4,273
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,677
Median debt
$9,500
Median earnings, 6yr
$35,018
Enrollment
17,299
21
Tarrant County College DistrictFort Worth, TX · Public
Avg net price
$4,337
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,334
Median debt
$9,104
Median earnings, 6yr
$34,945
Enrollment
43,928
22
Mei Barber SchoolBrownsville, TX · Private for-profit
Avg net price
$4,409
Net price (<$30K income)
$4,041
Median debt
-
Median earnings, 6yr
-
Enrollment
91
23
Palo Alto CollegeSan Antonio, TX · Public
Avg net price
$4,463
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,680
Median debt
$13,393
Median earnings, 6yr
$33,233
Enrollment
12,395
24
Midland CollegeMidland, TX · Public
Avg net price
$4,512
Net price (<$30K income)
$2,774
Median debt
$10,670
Median earnings, 6yr
$38,470
Enrollment
5,690
25
Northwest Vista CollegeSan Antonio, TX · Public
Avg net price
$4,525
Net price (<$30K income)
$3,178
Median debt
$9,400
Median earnings, 6yr
$35,741
Enrollment
20,060
#CollegeAvg net priceNet price (<$30K income)Median debtMedian earnings, 6yrEnrollment
1College of Biblical Studies-HoustonHouston, TX · Private nonprofit$67298% of the leader · rank #1$672$25,570$33,366419
2Texas A&M University-Central TexasKilleen, TX · Public$1,30097% of the leader · rank #2$2,949$17,750$50,3822,403
3College of the MainlandTexas City, TX · Public$1,34297% of the leader · rank #3$1,352$5,960$36,1645,127
4Lamar State College-OrangeOrange, TX · Public$1,65596% of the leader · rank #4$384$10,959$35,5533,629
5South Texas CollegeMcallen, TX · Public$1,75196% of the leader · rank #5$1,395-$28,23927,431
6Barber Education AcademyLaredo, TX · Private for-profit$2,22195% of the leader · rank #6$2,167--37
7Institute of Allied HealthcareSan Antonio, TX · Private for-profit$2,43094% of the leader · rank #7$2,430--60
8Southwest College for the DeafBig Spring, TX · Public$2,45894% of the leader · rank #8$900$9,500$32,42847
9Lamar State College-Port ArthurPort Arthur, TX · Public$2,84694% of the leader · rank #9$1,137$13,250$29,7464,680
10Texas Beauty CollegeHaltom City, TX · Private for-profit$2,93393% of the leader · rank #10$2,933-$22,49438
11Victoria CollegeVictoria, TX · Public$3,04393% of the leader · rank #11$2,144$10,500$34,6793,276
12Texas Southmost CollegeBrownsville, TX · Public$3,08593% of the leader · rank #12$1,696$9,000$33,9928,828
13El Paso Community CollegeEl Paso, TX · Public$3,20693% of the leader · rank #13$2,509$6,566$28,76525,567
14Dallas CollegeDallas, TX · Public$3,21493% of the leader · rank #14$2,120$9,500$35,49369,749
15Del Mar CollegeCorpus Christi, TX · Public$3,39992% of the leader · rank #15$2,541$5,500$32,52610,256
16Western Texas CollegeSnyder, TX · Public$3,56292% of the leader · rank #16$2,703$7,515$35,9261,385
17Texas A & M International UniversityLaredo, TX · Public$3,63792% of the leader · rank #17$3,097$15,000$37,3278,991
18Trinity Valley Community CollegeAthens, TX · Public$4,09291% of the leader · rank #18$2,338$10,426$32,7255,961
19Coastal Bend CollegeBeeville, TX · Public$4,23790% of the leader · rank #19$3,175-$29,5474,259
20St Philip's CollegeSan Antonio, TX · Public$4,27390% of the leader · rank #20$3,677$9,500$35,01817,299
21Tarrant County College DistrictFort Worth, TX · Public$4,33790% of the leader · rank #21$3,334$9,104$34,94543,928
22Mei Barber SchoolBrownsville, TX · Private for-profit$4,40990% of the leader · rank #22$4,041--91
23Palo Alto CollegeSan Antonio, TX · Public$4,46390% of the leader · rank #23$3,680$13,393$33,23312,395
24Midland CollegeMidland, TX · Public$4,51290% of the leader · rank #24$2,774$10,670$38,4705,690
25Northwest Vista CollegeSan Antonio, TX · Public$4,52590% of the leader · rank #25$3,178$9,400$35,74120,060

Showing the 25 cheapest of 337 Scorecard-reporting Texas schools. The remaining 312 are ranked in the same net-price order but omitted from this HTML table so the page stays crawlable.

Look up any institution's exact rank via My School Profile, or open its school page for income-bracket net price, debt, and earnings.

What this means for you

Use Texas's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.

  • College of Biblical Studies-Houston reports the lowest average net price in Texas, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View College of Biblical
  • See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
  • Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. Texas safety

Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.

Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. This page lists the 25 cheapest; the title count is the full Scorecard-reporting cohort for Texas. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.