The college explorer
Find a college.
See what it returns.
Look beyond the sticker price. Explore real costs, graduate earnings, and how long a degree takes to pay for itself.
How we measure value3,376colleges to explore
434with a Strong ROI verdict
College Scorecard · 2026 release
Federal figures. Our calculations.
213 matching colleges · Showing 1–24
Compare collegesBrowse by state or territory
Payback guideStrong ≤5 yearsSolid ≤10Slow ≤20Weak >20 or no payback
Texas 213 matching
View state rankingStrong ROI
Texas A&M University-College Station
College Station, TX
Net price / year$21,315Payback3.6 years
Weak ROI
Lone Star College System
The Woodlands, TX
Net price / year$11,252PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Dallas College
Dallas, TX
Net price / year$3,214PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
Net price / year$19,857Payback3 years
Weak ROI
Tarrant County College District
Fort Worth, TX
Net price / year$4,337PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Houston City College
Houston, TX
Net price / year$5,737PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
University of Houston
Houston, TX
Net price / year$14,276Payback4.1 years
Solid ROI
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Net price / year$16,805Payback7.9 years
Solid ROI
University of North Texas
Denton, TX
Net price / year$15,649Payback7.2 years
Solid ROI
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX
Net price / year$19,070Payback5.4 years
Strong ROI
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, TX
Net price / year$13,951Payback3.8 years
Strong ROI
The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
Net price / year$10,836Payback4.9 years
Weak ROI
Austin Community College District
Austin, TX
Net price / year$6,390PaybackNot available
Slow ROI
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Edinburg, TX
Net price / year$4,831Payback15.3 years
Weak ROI
Collin County Community College District
McKinney, TX
Net price / year$8,969Payback52.6 years
Weak ROI
El Paso Community College
El Paso, TX
Net price / year$3,206PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
San Jacinto Community College
Pasadena, TX
Net price / year$12,143PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
The University of Texas at Dallas
Richardson, TX
Net price / year$18,267Payback3.7 years
Slow ROI
The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX
Net price / year$9,403Payback14.7 years
Slow ROI
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX
Net price / year$16,404Payback11.2 years
Weak ROI
San Antonio College
San Antonio, TX
Net price / year$4,585PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
South Texas College
McAllen, TX
Net price / year$1,751PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Blinn College District
Brenham, TX
Net price / year$10,844PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Baylor University
Waco, TX
Net price / year$41,104Payback9.4 years