I ran across an interesting article recently describing the worst colleges in each state, and as I ran down the list to see which institutions of higher learning they said were the worst and why, at the same time, I was hoping that none of our local colleges were on that list. Keep reading, I have good news.

The good news is none of our immediate area colleges made their list. More about that in a minute.

Colleges 1 - Canva
Colleges 1 - Canva
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The Countdown

The article that did the rankings by state came from EarnSpendLive.com. They use several data sources for the countdown and positions these institutions received on their list including the United States Department of Education, Niche, and College Factual. The article doesn't fully explain why these institutions came in where they did but if you would like to see the full list click here. Website Warning: The previous link leads to an ad-heavy page and may not load fully depending on your computer's capabilities.

Coming in at # 39 out of the Top 50 is in Little Rock, Arkansas:

Philander Smith College - Google Maps
Philander Smith College - Google Maps
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According to the article, the college you don't want to attend in Arkansas is Philander Smith College in Little Rock. They are a 4-year, private college with an overall graduation rate of 39%. Six years after graduation their students earn a median income of $24,400 which makes it difficult to repay college loans. The average student debt is $26,616. Unfortunately, this is the highest-rated, low-rated college in our area.

#3 out of the Top 50 countdown is in Tyler, Texas:

Texas College - Google Maps
Texas College - Google Maps
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Texas College is located in Tyler, Texas. It's a 4-year private, non-profit college. Their graduation rate is 12.4% with only 4% of those considered on time. The six-year median salary is $23,400 after graduation. Student debt at this college averages $21,624.

Colleges 2 - Canva
Colleges 2 - Canva
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Now for the Good News!

We are very lucky here in East Texas and Southwest Arkansas to have some tremendous 2 and 4-year colleges in our immediate area to choose from to either start your college career, finish it, or pick a good continuing education course to further your career or get one started.

These are not ranked in any way, simply listed in alphabetical order.

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Kilgore College: 

Kilgore, home of the world-famous Rangerettes, is an open-enrollment 2-year college located in Kilgore, Texas. The average tuition plus fees are $2700, the on-time graduation rate is 32% the student-to-faculty ratio is 14, and the average student debt is $17,348. Kilgore.edu

Northeast Texas Community College:

NTCC is also an open-enrollment 2-year college located in Mount Pleasant, Texas. The average tuition plus fees are $3149, the on-time graduation rate is 38% the student-to-faculty ratio is 21, and the average student debt is $14,266. NTCC.edu

Paris Junior College:

Paris JC is another open-enrollment 2-year college located in Paris, Texas. The average tuition plus fees are $2460, the on-time graduation rate is 38% the student-to-faculty ratio is 28, and the average student debt is $8,829. ParisJC.edu

Texarkana College:

TC is also an open-enrollment 2-year college located in Texarkana, Texas. The average tuition plus fees are $2980, the on-time graduation rate is 48% the student-to-faculty ratio is 21, and the average student debt is $13,534. TexarkanaCollege.edu

Tyler Junior College:

TJC is also an open-enrollment 2-year college located in Tyler, Texas. The average tuition plus fees are $2962, the on-time graduation rate is 32% the student-to-faculty ratio is 18, and the average student debt is $15,113. TJC.edu

University of Arkansas Cossatot:

An open-enrollment 2-year college located in DeQueen, Arkansas. The average tuition plus fees are $3960, the on-time graduation rate is 24% the student-to-faculty ratio is 17, and the average student debt was not available. CCCUA.edu

University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana:

Like the others, an open-enrollment 2-year college is located in Hope, Arkansas, and a campus in Texarkana, Arkansas as well. The average tuition plus fees are $3420, the on-time graduation rate is 34% the student-to-faculty ratio is 16, and the average student debt was not available. UAHT.edu

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Henderson State University:

Henderson is a 4-year university located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The admission acceptance rate is 75% of those who apply with the average tuition and fees at $5760. On-time graduation rate is 24% and the student to faculty ratio is 14. The average student debt is $21,488. HSU.edu

Southern Arkansas University:

SAU is also a 4-year university located in Magnolia, Arkansas. The admission acceptance rate is 69% of those who apply with the average tuition and fees at $9080. On-time graduation rate is 29% and the student to faculty ratio is 15. The average student debt is $23,256. Web.SAUMag.edu

Texas A&M University-Commerce:

TAMUC is a 4-year university located in Commerce, Texas. The admission acceptance rate is 60% of those who apply with the average tuition and fees at $9820. On-time graduation rate is 47% and the student to faculty ratio is 22. The average student debt is $26,470. TAMUC.edu

Texas A&M University-Texarkana:

TAMUT is a 4-year university located in Texarkana, Texas. The admission acceptance rate is 96% of those who apply with the average tuition and fees at $8449. On-time graduation rate is 32% and the student to faculty ratio is 14. The average student debt is $25,052. TAMUT.edu

The University of Texas at Tyler:

UT-Tyler is a 4-year university located in Tyler, Texas. The admission acceptance rate is 92% of those who apply with the average tuition and fees at $9146. On-time graduation rate is 57% and the student to faculty ratio is 18. The average student debt is $25,991. UTTyler.edu

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Data Sources:
Institutional Websites
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) http://www.txhighereddata.org/
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/
College Factual www.collegefactual.com

Notes:
Avg Tuition & Fees are based on 30 semester credit hours for the Fall and Spring terms (15 each term).
Average Student Debt listed is student debt incurred only at the institution listed.
On-Time Graduation Rate: 3-Yr rate for Community Colleges, 5-Yr rate for Universities

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