2026 Best Value Latin American Studies Schools in the Southwest Region

[Latin American Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/area-studies/latin-american-studies/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong latin american studies education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 14 schools to find the best return on investment for latin american studies students.
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2026 Best Value Latin American Studies Schools in the Southwest Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in latin american studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Latin American Studies Schools
For return on investment in latin american studies, no school beat Arizona State University this year. Set in the city of Tempe, Arizona State University is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,223, compared with $33,139 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for latin american studies graduates is $21,842. Latin American Studies graduates of Arizona State University earn a median of $55,876 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $21,842 median debt. Roughly 90% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Arizona one of the best values for latin american studies. University Of Arizona is a very large public school located in the city of Tucson. Students from in state pay about $13,573 in tuition and fees, compared with $39,903 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for latin american studies graduates is $24,500. Early-career latin american studies graduates make about $31,480. Set against $24,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 86%.
The University Of Texas At Austin came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value latin american studies schools. The University Of Texas At Austin is a very large public school located in the city of Austin. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,688, while out-of-state students pay about $44,908. Latin American Studies graduates carry a median of $22,215 in student loans. Latin American Studies graduates of The University Of Texas At Austin earn a median of $38,223 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $22,215 median debt. Roughly 27% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 14 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.