2026 Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools in Texas
[Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-nursing/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 11 schools to find the best return on investment for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing students.
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2026 Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools in Texas
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools
Our analysis ranked The University Of Texas Pan American the best value for a degree in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing in Texas. Set in the city of Edinburg, The University Of Texas Pan American is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,799, compared with $19,645 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $11,674 to complete the psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing program here. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates of The University Of Texas Pan American earn a median of $46,404 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 94%.
A rank of #2 makes The University Of Texas At El Paso one of the best values for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Located in the city of El Paso, The University Of Texas At El Paso is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $9,544, with out-of-state students paying around $25,502. Students borrow a median of $21,379 to complete the psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing program here. Early-career psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates make about $88,713. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The University Of Texas At El Paso admits about 100% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at The University Of Texas At Tyler earned it the #3 place for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Set in the city of Tyler, The University Of Texas At Tyler is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,512 in tuition and fees, compared with $24,512 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $24,356 to complete the psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing program here. Early-career psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates make about $98,109. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 94%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Texas A And M University Texarkana earned it the #4 place for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Texas A And M University Texarkana is a mid-sized public school located in the city of Texarkana. Students from in state pay about $8,349 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $24,680. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $28,663. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from Texas A And M University Texarkana generally make around $44,862. That is a strong return on a $28,663 median debt. The acceptance rate is 64%.
Texas State University San Marcos is a great value for students pursuing a degree in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing, landing the #5 spot this year. Texas State University San Marcos is a very large public school located in the city of San Marcos. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,450, with out-of-state students paying around $22,930. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $23,250. Early-career psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates make about $84,285. Set against $23,250 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 89%.
University Of St Thomas Texas ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best value psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing schools. Located in the city of Houston, University Of St Thomas Texas is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $34,634. Students borrow a median of $24,607 to complete the psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing program here. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates of University Of St Thomas Texas earn a median of $83,793 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 90% of applicants are accepted.
University Of The Incarnate Word earned the #7 position for value in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing this year. Set in the city of San Antonio, University Of The Incarnate Word is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $37,090 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $27,574. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates of University Of The Incarnate Word earn a median of $85,614 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 98%.
West Texas A And M University earned the #8 position for value in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing this year. Located in the town of Canyon, West Texas A And M University is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,101, while out-of-state students pay about $10,996. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $22,884. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from West Texas A And M University generally make around $74,531. That is a strong return on a $22,884 median debt. West Texas A And M University admits about 99% of applicants.
Texas Christian University placed #9 among the best values for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Set in the city of Fort Worth, Texas Christian University is a large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $61,740. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates of Texas Christian University earn a median of $133,545 early in their careers. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 44% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 11 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 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.
