College Compass GuideTrue north for every college search.

Every accredited U.S. college

Colleges

Every accredited four-year college, rated on Academic Excellence and Value (what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and student debt), all from federal data.

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Compass Score sorts by outcomes, students and cost together. The other sorts order every college by a different measure.
Ratings
Compass ScoreCompass Score: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges from federal data: outcomes (40%), entering students (40%), cost (15%) and teaching (5%). Choose the lowest grade to show.
ValueValue: what families pay after aid, graduation rate, earnings and debt, from federal data.
Academic ExcellenceAcademic Excellence: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges, from federal data on graduation, retention, test scores, faculty ratio, and spending. It never uses rankings or surveys.
Only Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only the eight Ivy League universities.
Location1
Distance (miles)
A broad region of the country, as the guide groups the states. Territories are listed separately.
School1
Type of college, as college guides group them (from the federal Carnegie Classification): national universities offer a full range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs and do research; liberal arts colleges focus on undergraduates in the arts and sciences; regional universities mostly offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees; regional colleges mostly offer bachelor’s degrees in many fields; specialized schools focus on one field, such as health, art or business.
Public or privatePublic: run by a state or local government. Private: nonprofit or for-profit.
Total enrollment: small is under 2,000 students, medium 2,000 to 9,999, large 10,000 to 24,999, and very large 25,000 or more.
Net price: what a typical student pays per year after grants and scholarships, from the federal College Scorecard.
Coed: men and women together. Single-sex: all-male or all-female.
Campus life
College sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.
Where the campus is, from federal data: in a city, a suburb, a town, or a rural area.
The college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).
The college offers study abroad (federal data).
Admissions and outcomes
How many applicants are admitted (federal data). Most: 65% or more. Selective: 25% to 64%. Highly selective: under 25%.
Your SAT or ACT, to sort colleges Target, Likely and Reach. Signed in, it is kept on your account (private to you); otherwise only in this browser.
Reach, Target or LikelyA rough guide from admitted students' scores and admission rates, not a prediction. Target: your score is in the college's middle range. Likely: above it, or the college admits most applicants. Reach: below it, or the college admits fewer than 1 in 5.
Small classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Strong outcomes: 75% or more of students graduate (federal data).
Major
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
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RecommendedOnly Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.Honor RollOnly Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.ValueOnly colleges with a Value score of 85 or higher (grade A), from federal data.AcademicsOnly schools with an Academic Excellence grade of A or better (the top 10% of rated colleges), from federal data.Ivy LeagueOnly the eight Ivy League universities.Clear
Division I sportsCollege sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.ROTCThe college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).Study abroadThe college offers study abroad (federal data).NursingColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.EngineeringColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.Under $20kNet price under $20,000 a year: what a typical student pays after grants and scholarships (federal data).Small classesSmall classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Net price up to $20,000State: TexasClear all

73 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

  • Compass ScoreGood

    Tyler Junior College

    Top 11% for low debt
    Tyler, TX · Public · 4-year · 11,977 students

    About $10,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Hardin-Simmons University

    #53 in Texas
    Abilene, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,655 students

    About $20,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Angelo State University

    #55 in Texas
    San Angelo, TX · Public · 4-year · 11,250 students

    About $15,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    McMurry University

    #55 in Texas
    Abilene, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,549 students

    About $20,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Texas A&M University-Texarkana

    #57 in Texas
    Texarkana, TX · Public · 4-year · 2,109 students

    About $13,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Paul Quinn College

    Top 24% for low net price
    Dallas, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 602 students

    About $13,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Huston-Tillotson University

    #59 in Texas
    Austin, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,029 students

    About $20,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    East Texas A&M University

    Top 21% for low net price
    Commerce, TX · Public · 4-year · 12,013 students

    About $12,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    University of Houston-Downtown

    Top 17% for low net price
    Houston, TX · Public · 4-year · 14,105 students

    About $11,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    University of Houston-Victoria

    Top 10% for low net price
    Victoria, TX · Public · 4-year · 3,784 students

    About $8,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Texas A&M University-Kingsville

    Top 22% for low net price
    Kingsville, TX · Public · 4-year · 6,562 students

    About $12,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Sul Ross State University

    Top 22% for low debt
    Alpine, TX · Public · 4-year · 1,942 students

    About $13,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Prairie View A & M University

    #67 in Texas
    Prairie View, TX · Public · 4-year · 9,517 students

    About $14,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Midwestern State University

    Top 20% for low net price
    Wichita Falls, TX · Public · 4-year · 5,573 students

    About $12,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    The University of Texas Permian Basin

    Top 24% for low net price
    Odessa, TX · Public · 4-year · 5,899 students

    About $13,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Lamar University

    Top 14% for low net price
    Beaumont, TX · Public · 4-year · 17,473 students

    About $9,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Jarvis Christian University

    Top 15% for low net price
    Hawkins, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 800 students

    About $10,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi

    #74 in Texas
    Corpus Christi, TX · Public · 4-year · 10,855 students

    About $15,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Texas A&M University-San Antonio

    Top 19% for low net price
    San Antonio, TX · Public · 4-year · 7,584 students

    About $11,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Wiley University

    Top 8% for low net price
    Marshall, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 636 students

    About $7,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    University of North Texas at Dallas

    Top 7% for low net price
    Dallas, TX · Public · 4-year · 3,797 students

    About $6,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value not rated yetAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Texas College

    Top 18% for low net price
    Tyler, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 644 students

    About $11,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Texas Southern University

    #85 in Texas
    Houston, TX · Public · 4-year · 8,469 students

    About $17,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Brazosport College

    Top 2% for low debt
    Lake Jackson, TX · Public · 4-year · 4,100 students

    About $5,000 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Southwestern Christian College

    Terrell, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 128 students

    About $19,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value not rated yetAcademicsFair

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