Top Rated Southwest Public Colleges
These are the top ranked public four-year colleges in the Southwest as ranked by CollegeSimply. Leading the rankings for 2027 as the best public college in the Southwest is The University of Texas at Austin. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Eastern New Mexico University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Portales, NM
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 24 application deadline
ENMU is a public university known for undergraduate aviation and teacher education. The campus is in the small college town of Portales on New Mexico's eastern plains.
- SAT Range 830-1060
- Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $6,416
Prairie View A & M University
- Public 4 Year
- Prairie View, TX
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Prairie View A&M is a public HBCU known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and agriculture. The small-town campus sits northwest of Houston in Prairie View.
- SAT Range 860-1080
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $14,448
Texas Southern University
- Public 4 Year
- Houston, TX
-
3.0 | 3 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Texas Southern is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate pharmacy, business, and criminal justice. The urban campus is located in Houston's Third Ward.
- SAT Range 800-1000
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $13,584
Northeastern State University
- Public 4 Year
- Tahlequah, OK
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
Northeastern State is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and Native American studies. The Tahlequah campus sits in the capital of the Cherokee Nation.
- SAT Range 866-1136
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $12,410
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
- Public 4 Year
- Weatherford, OK
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
SWOSU is a public university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and education. The campus is in the small college town of Weatherford in western Oklahoma.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $14,410
The University of Texas at El Paso
- Public 4 Year
- El Paso, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
UTEP is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering. The campus features distinctive Bhutanese-style architecture in El Paso near the U.S.-Mexico border.
- SAT Range 860-1080
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $9,305