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.
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
Higher than 32% · #180 of 253 in Texas
Higher than 38%
Higher than 57% · #78 of 206 in Texas
Cheaper than 97% · #7 cheapest of 252 in Texas
Lower than 20%
Lower than 6%
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
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 $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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Port Arthur SE TX AP, TX US station (7.5 mi from campus).
What Lamar State College-Port Arthur 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 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 →
Coastal Bend College
Beeville, Texas · Remote town · 49 mi to Corpus Christi
- Students
- 1,958
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $35k
Victoria College
Victoria, Texas · Small city · 75 mi to Corpus Christi
- Students
- 2,351
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 26%
- Earnings
- $42k
Lamar State College-Orange
Orange, Texas · Fringe town · 101 mi to Houston
- Students
- 1,391
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $37k
Texas Southmost College
Brownsville, Texas · Midsize city · < 1 mi to Brownsville
- Students
- 3,372
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $42k
Panola College
Carthage, Texas · Distant town · 44 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 1,388
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $36k
Western Texas College
Snyder, Texas · Remote town · 83 mi to Lubbock
- Students
- 599
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 22%
- Earnings
- $43k
Colleges near Lamar State College-Port Arthur
Lamar University
Beaumont, TX · Public · Bachelor's · 8,150 students
Lamar Institute of Technology
Beaumont, TX · Public · Certificate · 3,055 students
Barbers Trade School
Beaumont, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 9 students
Lamar State College-Orange
Orange, TX · Public · Certificate · 1,391 students
Texas Healthtech Institute
Beaumont, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 150 students
Southeast Texas Career Institute
Silsbee, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 75 students
McNeese State University
Lake Charles, LA · Public · Bachelor's · 5,005 students
Stage One-The Hair School
Lake Charles, LA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 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.












