Public · Community college

Howard College

Big Spring, Texas · Remote town

8%
Transfer rate
$6,147
Avg net price
35%
Grad / completion
$38,382
Median earnings

Howard College is a public associate-granting institution in Big Spring, Texas (remote town setting), enrolling 1,611 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,611 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Big Spring, Texas

Big Spring is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Texas, United States, at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20. The first European to view the site was probably a member of a Spanish expedition exploring the Great Plains from New Mexico. Big Spring is the site of several major hang-gliding championship tournaments, including the U.S. Hang Gliding Nationals. The city was also the site for the filming of parts of Midnight Cowboy and Hangar 18. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
41 miles to Midland, TX
To the ocean
375 miles
Nearest airport
49 miles to Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF)

How Howard College compares

Graduation rate35%

Higher than 20% · #196 of 253 in Texas

First-year retention71%

Higher than 45%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,382

Higher than 62% · #66 of 206 in Texas

Average net price$6,147

Cheaper than 86% · #34 cheapest of 252 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$9,500

Lower than 57%

Student–faculty ratio25 : 1

Lower than 12%

Undergraduate enrollment1,611

Larger than 79%

Percentiles compare Howard College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Texas.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,611undergrads
  • Women1,05866%
  • Men55334%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White39%
  • Black4.5%
  • Hispanic50%
  • Asian0.7%
  • Other or multiracial5.1%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,611
Student–faculty ratio
25 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
24%
First-generation students
51%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$25,011
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$51,804
Endowment
$7,563,258

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$2,766
Out-of-state tuition
$6,716
Room & board
$6,064
Books & supplies
$1,690
Total cost of attendance
$13,858
Average net price
$6,147

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
35%
First-year retention
71%
Transferred to another college
8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$32,428
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,382
Median debt at graduation
$9,500
Students with federal loans
9%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
37%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
35%
Low-income (Pell)
32%
First-generation
33%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
252
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
16%
Housing charge (year)
$1,650
Meal plan (year)
$4,188
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
101 (58 men · 43 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (4)

Baseball32
Basketball28
Rodeo23
Softball18

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,101 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.7reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$4,301
$30–48k
$6,056
$48–75k
$7,068
$75–110k
$9,934
$110k+
$12,329

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

38%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,115
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 38% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,115. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 345 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$38,382
Typical debt at graduation
$9,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
25%
Out-earn a HS grad
47%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$34,370
Men
$48,296

Men out-earn women by $13,926 (41%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
96°F
Winter low
31°F
Annual rain
19.6″
Annual snow
2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Big Spring, TX US station (0.6 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Howard College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Howard College side by side →

Colleges near Howard College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.