Public · Community college

Odessa College

Odessa, Texas · Midsize city

0%
Transfer rate
$6,368
Avg net price
37%
Grad / completion
$42,026
Median earnings

Odessa College is a public associate-granting institution in Odessa, Texas (midsize city setting), enrolling 4,654 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 4,654 undergradsMidsize cityNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Odessa, Texas

Odessa is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Odessa was founded in 1881 as a water stop and cattle-shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway. Odessa is said to have been named after Odessa in the Russian Empire (present-day Odesa, Ukraine). The Midland–Odessa Symphony and Chorale was founded in 1962, and is the region's largest orchestral organization, presenting both pops and masterworks concerts. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
20 miles to Midland, TX
To the ocean
401 miles
Nearest airport
12 miles to Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF)

How Odessa College compares

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 22% · #193 of 253 in Texas

First-year retention66%

Higher than 36%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,026

Higher than 76% · #35 of 206 in Texas

Average net price$6,368

Cheaper than 85% · #39 cheapest of 252 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$7,750

Lower than 77%

Student–faculty ratio24 : 1

Lower than 16%

Undergraduate enrollment4,654

Larger than 90%

Percentiles compare Odessa 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

4,654undergrads
  • Women2,95263%
  • Men1,70237%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White20%
  • Black6.3%
  • Hispanic68%
  • Asian1.1%
  • Other or multiracial4.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,654
Student–faculty ratio
24 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
22%
First-generation students
57%
Students over 25
20%
Median family income
$22,562
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$57,636
Endowment
$23,131,419

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$2,688
Out-of-state tuition
$4,926
Room & board
$6,930
Books & supplies
$450
Total cost of attendance
$13,086
Average net price
$6,368

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
37%
First-year retention
66%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,867
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,026
Median debt at graduation
$7,750
Students with federal loans
2%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
44%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
37%
Low-income (Pell)
19%
First-generation
20%

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
238
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
5%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
240 (139 men · 101 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 (9)

Baseball54
Rodeo35
Basketball31
Track and Field (Indoor)22
Track and Field (Outdoor)22
Softball21
Cross Country19
Golf18
Volleyball18

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)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (9,981 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.

1.7reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.7
Rape
0.3
Burglary
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$5,648
$30–48k
$6,001
$48–75k
$8,407
$75–110k
$9,864
$110k+
$10,586

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
$2,715
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 38% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,715. 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 582 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)
$42,026
Typical debt at graduation
$7,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
18%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.8 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
$36,100
Men
$55,207

Men out-earn women by $19,107 (53%) 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
94°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
12.3″
Annual snow
0.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.81.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Odessa, TX US station (1.7 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 Odessa College

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

Colleges near Odessa 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.