College ROI

2 North Texas universities rank among state's 10 best bang-for-your-buck colleges

UNT is named the ninth best collegiate value in Texas.

By one measure, earning a degree at the University of Texas at Dallas or University of North Texas is one of the smartest moves in the Lone Star State.

In its eighth annual ranking of colleges and university that give students the best return on their educational investment, personal finance website SmartAsset places UT Dallas (in Richardson) at No. 3 in Texas and No. 71 in the U.S. It ranks University of North Texas (in Denton) at No. 9 in Texas and No. 164 in the U.S.

They were the only two North Texas schools to make the Texas top 10.

Rice University in Houston repeats at No. 1 in Texas and No. 10 in the U.S., and it was the only Texas school to break into the national top 10.

To determine the best-value colleges and universities in each state, SmartAsset crunched data in these categories: scholarships and grants, starting salary for new graduates, tuition, living costs, and retention rate.

At UT Dallas, the numbers break down like this:

College tuition: $13,034
Student living costs: $16,252
Average scholarships and grants: $12,033
Average starting salary after graduation: $63,100
Student retention rate: 90 percent

And at UNT, this is the breakdown:

College tuition: $10,852
Student living costs: $13,860
Average scholarships and grants: $8,857
Average starting salary after graduation: $54,200
Student retention rate: 85 percent

Compare those numbers to top-ranked Rice: While the tuition ($47,350) and student living costs ($17,800) at Rice are the highest among the top 10 Texas schools on the list, the average amount of scholarships and grants ($43,615), average starting salary ($77,900), and retention rate (97 percent) also are among the highest.

According to Rice, tuition, fees, on-campus room and board, books, and personal expenses for the 2022-23 academic year add up to $74,110. That figure, which excludes financial aid, applies to a full-time, degree-seeking student living on campus.

Other Texas schools in the state’s top 10 are:

University of Texas at Austin, No. 2.
Prairie View A&M University, No. 4.
University of Houston, No. 5.
Texas A&M University-College Station, No. 6.
Texas Tech University in Lubbock, No. 7.
LeTourneau University in Longview, No. 8.
Texas State University in San Marcos, No. 10.

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Christmas in Cowtown

Festive Fort Worth makes new list of top cities to celebrate Christmas

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There's much to love around the holiday season in Fort Worth, including meeting Cowboy Santa.

Fort Worth's festive spirit is on full display, from Cowboy Santa's visits in the historic Stockyards to the sky-high tree in downtown's Sundance Square. It's no wonder the city made WalletHub's list of the best cities for celebrating Christmas 2024.

Merry Fort Worth lands at No. 57 spot on the new list, which annually ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities across five key dimensions: Traditions and fun, observance, generosity, shopping opportunities, plus travel and meal costs.

Fort Worth ranked as the No. 50 best U.S. city for celebrating Christmas in WalletHub's 2023 report.

Here's how the city performed across the study's five main categories this year:

No. 16 – Costs rank
No. 38 – Generosity rank
No. 55 – Observance rank
No. 59 – Traditions and fun rank
No. 65 – Shopping rank

No matter what the rankings say, jolly Fort Worth residents can enjoy a host of holiday happenings this winter, including numerous light displays and dazzling neighborhoods throughout town. From local restaurants and bars creating festive feasts and delightful cocktail experiences, to great places to ice skate, there is plenty to get Fort Worth residents in the holiday spirit this year.

Fort Worth households also have bigger holiday budgets in 2024 than they did the year before. According to a separate WalletHub study, the average Fort Worth household is expected to spend about $1,082 on Christmas gifts this year, versus $1,013 in 2023.

"With inflation making Christmas celebrations, gifts, food and travel more expensive, certain cities are much better for your wallet than others during the holiday," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the best cities have a large number of people celebrating, plenty of places for Christians to worship, populations who give generously to charity, and plenty of fun activities to enjoy with family and friends."

Elsewhere in Texas, other festive cities that earned spots in the top 50 include Austin (No. 23), San Antonio (No. 30), Dallas (No. 31), and Houston (No. 41).

The top 10 best places to experience Christmas in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 2 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 – Orlando, Florida
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – St. Louis, Missouri
No. 8 – Miami, Florida
No. 9 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 10 – New York, New York

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