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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

100 Colleges
$3,634 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$73,234 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Texas. In total, 21,862 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Texas.

There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 100 schools in Texas to see which programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Nursing Colleges.

Top 15% Best Nursing Schools

$1,770 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Lamar State College - Port Arthur to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Texas. Lamar State College - Port Arthur is a small public school located in the small city of Port Arthur.

Lamar State College - Port Arthur undergraduate students pay an average of $1,770 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Lamar State College - Port Arthur accumulate an average of around $33,385 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Lamar State College - Port Arthur

#2

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX
$3,168 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Amarillo College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Texas. Located in the midsize city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Amarillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,168 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Amarillo College take out $21,240 in student loans while working on their degree.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Amarillo College also did well on our Best Nursing Schools in Texas list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Nursing at Amarillo College

#3

Galveston College

Galveston, TX
$2,950 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 100 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s ranking, Galveston College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the fringe town of Galveston, Galveston College is a public school with a small student population.

Galveston College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,950 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Galveston College take out $17,757 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at Galveston College Report

$3,240 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jacinto Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas list. San Jacinto College is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Pasadena.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jacinto College are $3,240 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at San Jacinto College accumulate an average of around $12,750 in student debt.

Full Nursing at San Jacinto Community College Report

$3,094 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Collin County Community College District. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas list. Located in the suburb of McKinney, Collin County Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Collin County Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $3,094 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Collin County Community College District take out $14,970 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at Collin County Community College District Report

$2,834 Average Tuition & Fees

Alvin Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Alvin, Alvin is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Alvin are $2,834 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Alvin accumulate an average of around $15,511 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Alvin Community College Report

#7

College of the Mainland

Texas City, TX
$2,973 Average Tuition & Fees

College of the Mainland landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Texas City, COM is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COM are $2,973 per year. Nursing majors at COM take out an average of $20,290 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Nursing at College of the Mainland

#8

Panola College

Carthage, TX
$3,672 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Panola College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Panola College is a small public school located in the distant town of Carthage.

Panola College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,672 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Panola College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Schools in Texas list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Nursing at Panola College

$3,402 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Tarrant County College District did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of Fort Worth, Tarrant County College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tarrant County College are $3,402 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Tarrant County College accumulate an average of around $17,500 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Tarrant County College District Report

#10

El Centro College

Dallas, TX
$4,050 Average Tuition & Fees

El Centro College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. El Centro College is a very large public school located in the large city of Dallas.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at El Centro College are $4,050 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at El Centro College accumulate an average of around $18,559 in student debt.

In addition to its great value ranking, El Centro College is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in Texas list.

Full Nursing at El Centro College Report

#11

South Texas College

McAllen, TX
$4,530 Average Tuition & Fees

South Texas College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas list. South Texas College is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of McAllen.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at South Texas College are $4,530 a year. Nursing majors at South Texas College take out an average of $9,273 in student loans while working on their egree.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, South Texas College also is in the top 15% of our Best Nursing Schools in Texas ranking.

Read More…

$3,624 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #12, Wharton County Junior College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Wharton County Junior College is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Wharton.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wharton County Junior College are $3,624 per year. Nursing majors at Wharton County Junior College take out an average of $14,006 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

$3,274 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #13, El Paso Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. El Paso Community College is a very large public school located in the city of El Paso.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at El Paso Community College are $3,274 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at El Paso Community College take out is $17,500.

Full Nursing at El Paso Community College Report

$3,192 Average Tuition & Fees

Lamar State College - Orange came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas ranking. Lamar State College - Orange is a small public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Orange.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lamar State College - Orange are $3,192 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Lamar State College - Orange take out $21,557 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#15

South Plains College

Levelland, TX
$3,892 Average Tuition & Fees

South Plains College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. South Plains College is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Levelland.

South Plains College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,892 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from South Plains College take out $12,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at South Plains College Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Nursing Schools in Texas award.

Rank College Location
16 Clarendon College Clarendon, TX
17 Northeast Texas Community College Mount Pleasant, TX
18 Tyler Junior College Tyler, TX
19 Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX
20 Houston Community College Houston, TX

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southwest Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southwest Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 12,966
New Mexico 1,390
Oklahoma 3,009

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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