2026 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Texas
[Legal Professions](/majors/legal-studies-and-professions/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 58 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for legal professions students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Texas
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in legal professions, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Legal Professions Schools
El Centro College earned the #1 spot for value among legal professions schools in Texas. El Centro College is a very large public school located in the city of Dallas. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,730, with out-of-state students paying around $6,900. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $17,294. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from El Centro College generally make around $33,381. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Alvin Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in legal professions, landing the #2 spot this year. Alvin Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Alvin. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $1,906, with out-of-state students paying around $4,402. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $8,600 in student loans. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from Alvin Community College generally make around $55,057. That is a strong return on a $8,600 median debt.
Lamar State College Orange is a great value for students pursuing a degree in legal professions, landing the #3 spot this year. Lamar State College Orange is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Orange. Students from in state pay about $2,832 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $13,824. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $18,506. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $45,299. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Students looking for strong value in legal professions will find it at Tarrant County College District, which ranked #4. Tarrant County College District is a very large public school located in the city of Fort Worth. In-state tuition and fees average $1,863, with out-of-state students paying around $8,370. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $15,148. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $38,404. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Students looking for strong value in legal professions will find it at South Texas College, which ranked #5. South Texas College is a very large public school located in the city of McAllen. Students from in state pay about $4,920 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $7,620. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $6,868. Legal Professions graduates of South Texas College earn a median of $30,227 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $6,868 median debt.
Del Mar College earned the #6 position for value in legal professions this year. Set in the city of Corpus Christi, Del Mar College is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,500, with out-of-state students paying around $6,050. Students borrow a median of $7,476 to complete the legal professions program here. Legal Professions graduates of Del Mar College earn a median of $40,661 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Austin Community College District came in at #7 for value in legal professions this year. Located in the city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $2,550, with out-of-state students paying around $10,590. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $19,242. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from Austin Community College District generally make around $46,216. That is a strong return on a $19,242 median debt.
San Antonio College ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the best value legal professions schools. Located in the city of San Antonio, San Antonio College is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $3,412, compared with $9,952 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $11,839 to complete the legal professions program here. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from San Antonio College generally make around $37,855. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
El Paso Community College came in at #9 for value in legal professions this year. Located in the city of El Paso, El Paso Community College is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $3,274, compared with $5,314 for out-of-state students. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $8,542 in student loans. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $29,086. That is a strong return on a $8,542 median debt.
Amarillo College came in at #10 for value in legal professions this year. Set in the city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $2,136 in tuition and fees, compared with $4,704 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $15,720. Legal Professions graduates of Amarillo College earn a median of $41,053 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $15,720 median debt.
Central Texas College placed #11 among the best values for legal professions. Located in the suburb of Killeen, Central Texas College is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $3,750, compared with $7,500 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $11,290. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from Central Texas College generally make around $53,086. Set against $11,290 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Houston Community College came in at #12 for value in legal professions this year. Houston Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Houston. Students from in state pay about $2,040 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $5,460. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $14,000 in student loans. Legal Professions graduates of Houston Community College earn a median of $40,365 early in their careers. Set against $14,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
San Jacinto Community College came in at #13 for value in legal professions this year. Set in the city of Pasadena, San Jacinto Community College is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $2,490, while out-of-state students pay about $6,690. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $11,376. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $38,107. That is a strong return on a $11,376 median debt.
South Plains College ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the best value legal professions schools. Located in the town of Levelland, South Plains College is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $2,733, compared with $5,157 for out-of-state students. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $13,788 in student loans. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from South Plains College generally make around $30,949. That is a strong return on a $13,788 median debt.
University Of North Texas At Dallas earned the #15 position for value in legal professions this year. Set in the city of Dallas, University Of North Texas At Dallas is a mid-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,595 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $21,894. Roughly 84% of applicants are accepted.
Collin County Community College District placed #16 among the best values for legal professions. Located in the suburb of McKinney, Collin County Community College District is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $2,014, while out-of-state students pay about $6,064. Students borrow a median of $9,716 to complete the legal professions program here. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $42,177. That is a strong return on a $9,716 median debt.
Lone Star College System landed the #17 spot for legal professions value this year. Set in the city of The Woodlands, Lone Star College System is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,664, with out-of-state students paying around $7,512. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $17,251 in student loans. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from Lone Star College System generally make around $36,678. Set against $17,251 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
University Of Houston Clear Lake ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best value legal professions schools. Set in the city of Houston, University Of Houston Clear Lake is a moderately-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $8,346, compared with $22,290 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $20,625 to complete the legal professions program here. Legal Professions graduates of University Of Houston Clear Lake earn a median of $42,723 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $20,625 median debt. The acceptance rate is 90%.
Odessa College landed the #19 spot for legal professions value this year. Located in the city of Odessa, Odessa College is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $2,688 in tuition and fees, compared with $4,926 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $9,087. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from Odessa College generally make around $47,856. That is a strong return on a $9,087 median debt.
Texas A And M University Commerce came in at #20 for value in legal professions this year. Texas A And M University Commerce is a large public school located in the town of Commerce. Students from in state pay about $10,026 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $22,326. Students borrow a median of $24,375 to complete the legal professions program here. Legal Professions graduates of Texas A And M University Commerce earn a median of $54,201 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $24,375 median debt. The acceptance rate is 92%.
Tyler Junior College landed the #21 spot for legal professions value this year. Tyler Junior College is a large public school located in the city of Tyler. Students from in state pay about $2,424 in tuition and fees, compared with $4,536 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $14,869. Legal Professions graduates of Tyler Junior College earn a median of $43,348 early in their careers. Set against $14,869 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
University Of Houston ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best value legal professions schools. Set in the city of Houston, University Of Houston is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,717, with out-of-state students paying around $22,547. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $21,255 in student loans. Legal Professions graduates of University Of Houston earn a median of $88,163 early in their careers. Set against $21,255 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Houston admits about 74% of applicants.
The University Of Texas At San Antonio ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best value legal professions schools. The University Of Texas At San Antonio is a very large public school located in the city of San Antonio. Students from in state pay about $9,326 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $22,249. Students borrow a median of $21,500 to complete the legal professions program here. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $23,017. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The University Of Texas At San Antonio admits about 87% of applicants.
Texas State University San Marcos placed #24 among the best values for legal professions. 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, while out-of-state students pay about $22,930. Students borrow a median of $23,659 to complete the legal professions program here. Legal Professions graduates of Texas State University San Marcos earn a median of $47,456 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $23,659 median debt. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
The University Of Texas At Austin ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best value legal professions schools. Set in the city of Austin, The University Of Texas At Austin is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $11,688, compared with $44,908 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $21,275. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from The University Of Texas At Austin generally make around $103,039. That is a strong return on a $21,275 median debt. The University Of Texas At Austin admits about 27% of applicants.
Rest of the Top 35 Best Value Legal Professions Schools
Not far behind, these schools also offered excellent value in legal professions:
More Legal Professions Rankings
View All Legal Professions Rankings >
Notes and References
This list is compiled 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 · 58 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 8 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.
