Private nonprofit · University
Howard Payne University
Brownwood, Texas · Remote town
- 67.4%
- Admit rate
- $23,627
- Avg net price
- 28%
- Graduation rate
- $48,376
- Median earnings
Howard Payne University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Brownwood, Texas (remote town setting), enrolling 713 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Baptist religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Howard Payne University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 67.4%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 880–1160
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.00
Enter a test score to see where you land against Howard Payne University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Howard Payne University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The original site of the Brown County seat of Brownwood was east of Pecan Bayou. A dispute arose over land and water rights, and the settlers were forced to find a new location. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 109 miles to Waco, TX
- To the ocean
- 249 miles
- Nearest airport
- 63 miles to Abilene (ABI)
How Howard Payne University compares
More selective than 68% · #27 most selective of 77 in Texas
Higher than 11%
Higher than 10% · #75 of 87 in Texas
Higher than 7%
Higher than 34% · #70 of 94 in Texas
Cheaper than 33% · #67 cheapest of 88 in Texas
Lower than 19%
Lower than 76%
Larger than 28%
Percentiles compare Howard Payne University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Texas.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate71392%
- Graduate588%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women27939%
- Men43461%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White50%
- Black9.7%
- Hispanic30%
- Asian0.6%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 713
- Graduate enrollment
- 58
- Student–faculty ratio
- 10 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 44%
- First-generation students
- 37%
- Students over 25
- 9%
- Median family income
- $48,182
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $61,578
- Endowment
- $91,288,222
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 67.4%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 880–1160
- SAT average
- 1026
- SAT reading
- 440–610
- SAT math
- 440–550
- ACT composite
- 16–27
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.00
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $34,982
- Room & board
- $10,200
- Books & supplies
- $1,500
- Total cost of attendance
- $46,766
- Average net price
- $23,627
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 (within 6 years)
- 28%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 21%
- First-year retention
- 52%
- Transferred to another college
- 49%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $38,212
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $48,376
- Median debt at graduation
- $26,793
- Students with federal loans
- 69%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 48%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- 701
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 98%
- Housing charge (year)
- $3,900
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,174
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- American Southwest Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 349 (247 men · 102 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 (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (809 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$25,917/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
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.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 91% — get grant money from Howard Payne University itself, averaging $13,800, which softens the sticker price.
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 208 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)
- $48,376
- Typical debt at graduation
- $26,793
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 55%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 59%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $7,323 (16%) 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
- 97°F
- Winter low
- 32°F
- Annual rain
- 30.6″
- Annual snow
- 1.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Brownwood 2Ene, TX US station (2.8 mi from campus).
What Howard Payne University graduates study — and earn
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 Payne University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Howard Payne University side by side →
Mount Mary University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Large city · 7 mi to Milwaukee
- Students
- 631
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1020
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $49k
Bushnell University
Eugene, Oregon · Midsize city · < 1 mi to Eugene
- Students
- 517
- Admission
- 67%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1020
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $54k
Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois · Small city · 36 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 1,382
- Admission
- 67%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1034
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $51k
Bluffton University
Bluffton, Ohio · Distant rural · 56 mi to Toledo
- Students
- 582
- Admission
- 67%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 976
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $50k
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Owensboro, Kentucky · Small city · 29 mi to Evansville
- Students
- 842
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1044
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $47k
La Roche University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 9 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 751
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1055
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $52k
Colleges near Howard Payne University
Cisco College
Cisco, TX · Public · Certificate · 1,620 students
Ranger College
Ranger, TX · Public · Associate · 971 students
Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX · Public · Bachelor's · 12,673 students
Neecee's Barber College
Abilene, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 32 students
McMurry University
Abilene, TX · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,176 students
Abilene Christian University
Abilene, TX · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,195 students
Texas College of Cosmetology-Abilene
Abilene, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 40 students
Hardin-Simmons University
Abilene, TX · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,283 students
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.












