Public · Community college

Lamar State College-Port Arthur

Port Arthur, Texas · Small city

13%
Transfer rate
$2,846
Avg net price
45%
Grad / completion
$37,120
Median earnings

Lamar State College-Port Arthur is a public certificate-granting institution in Port Arthur, Texas (small city setting), enrolling 1,508 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,508 undergradsSmall cityNJCAA Division INear the coast

About Port Arthur, Texas

Port Arthur is a city in the state of Texas, United States of America, located 90 mi (140 km) east of metro Houston. Aurora was an early settlement attempt near the mouth of Taylor Bayou on Sabine Lake, about 14 miles (23 km) long and 7 miles (11 km) wide. It is a saltwater estuary formed by the confluence of the Neches and Sabine Rivers. Port Arthur's Museum of the Gulf Coast is recognized as the area's definitive collection of items and displays for figures from Port Arthur and the surrounding communities. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
87 miles to Houston, TX
To the ocean
1 mile
Nearest airport
7 miles to Jack Brooks (BPT)

How Lamar State College-Port Arthur compares

Graduation rate45%

Higher than 32% · #180 of 253 in Texas

First-year retention67%

Higher than 38%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$37,120

Higher than 57% · #78 of 206 in Texas

Average net price$2,846

Cheaper than 97% · #7 cheapest of 252 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$13,250

Lower than 20%

Student–faculty ratio29 : 1

Lower than 6%

Undergraduate enrollment1,508

Larger than 78%

Percentiles compare Lamar State College-Port Arthur 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

1,508undergrads
  • Women89759%
  • Men61141%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White26%
  • Black31%
  • Hispanic37%
  • Asian2.7%
  • Other or multiracial2.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,508
Student–faculty ratio
29 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
21%
First-generation students
51%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$19,989
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$49,140
Endowment
$144,495

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$1,770
Out-of-state tuition
$8,070
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$10,754
Average net price
$2,846

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
45%
First-year retention
67%
Transferred to another college
13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$29,746
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$37,120
Median debt at graduation
$13,250
Students with federal loans
7%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
25%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
45%
Low-income (Pell)
12%

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
No
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
27 (12 men · 15 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 (2)

Softball15
Basketball12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
7

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,680 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.

2.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.3
Robbery
0.3

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
$1,137
$30–48k
$1,554
$48–75k
$3,959
$75–110k
$9,110
$110k+
$9,346

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.

31%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,855
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 31% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,855. 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 216 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)
$37,120
Typical debt at graduation
$13,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
36%
Out-earn a HS grad
39%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 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
$34,512
Men
$45,447

Men out-earn women by $10,935 (32%) 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
93°F
Winter low
44°F
Annual rain
62.1″
Annual snow
0.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.56.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Port Arthur SE TX AP, TX US station (7.5 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 Lamar State College-Port Arthur

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Lamar State College-Port Arthur side by side →

Colleges near Lamar State College-Port Arthur

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.