Private for-profit · Community college

Southern Careers Institute-Brownsville

Brownsville, Texas · Midsize city

2%
Transfer rate: $17,864
Avg net price: 68%
Grad / completion: $27,035
Median earnings

Southern Careers Institute-Brownsville is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Brownsville, Texas (midsize city setting), enrolling 631 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 631 undergradsMidsize cityMild wintersNear the coast

About Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. In 1781, Spanish government officials granted José Salvador de la Garza 59 leagues of land (408 sq mi). He used the land to construct a ranch several miles northwest of the area. During the early 1800s, Brownsville was known to residents as los tejidos (English: "pasturelands"). Brownsville is known for its strong Mexican culture. Charro Days is a two-nation fiesta celebration held in Brownsville in cooperation with Matamoros, Mexico. It is accompanied with El Grito, a joyous shout originating in Mexican culture. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 2 miles to Brownsville, TX
To the ocean: 16 miles
Nearest airport: 5 miles to Brownsville South Padre Island (BRO)

How Southern Careers Institute-Brownsville compares

Graduation rate68%

Higher than 59% · #111 of 253 in Texas

First-year retention74%

Higher than 54%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$27,035

Higher than 24% · #152 of 206 in Texas

Average net price$17,864

Cheaper than 40% · #123 cheapest of 252 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$8,708

Lower than 68%

Student–faculty ratio25 : 1

Lower than 12%

Undergraduate enrollment631

Larger than 66%

Percentiles compare Southern Careers Institute-Brownsville 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

Women40364%
Men22836%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White27%
Hispanic71%
Other or multiracial1.3%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 631
Student–faculty ratio: 25 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 73%
First-generation students: 64%
Students over 25: 30%
Median family income: $14,258
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $41,985

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

Cost

In-state tuition: —
Room & board: —
Total cost of attendance: —
Average net price: $17,864

Outcomes

Graduated: 68%
First-year retention: 74%
Transferred to another college: 2%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $24,849
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $27,035
Median debt at graduation: $8,708
Students with federal loans: 69%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 15%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

68%

Low-income (Pell)

61%

First-generation

62%

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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

$17,716

$30–48k

$17,283

$48–75k

$18,620

$75–110k

$20,687

$110k+

$19,346

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.

13%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,768

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 13% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,768. 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 579 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): $27,035
Typical debt at graduation: $8,708
Debt vs. one year's pay: 32%
Out-earn a HS grad: 24%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 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

$25,169

Men

$35,332

Men out-earn women by $10,163 (40%) 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: 50°F
Annual rain: 26.8″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wfo Brownsville, TX US station (5.3 mi from campus).

What Southern Careers Institute-Brownsville graduates study — and earn

Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCert.

202 grads$25k 1 yr— 5 yr$7k debt

202$25,267—$7,125 Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

171 grads$22k 1 yr$27k 5 yr$10k debt

171$21,645$27,409$9,500 Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

128 grads$16k 1 yr$16k 5 yr$8k debt

128$15,634$15,546$8,394 Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementCert.

31 grads$22k 1 yr$32k 5 yr$7k debt

31$22,206$31,668$7,125 Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCert.

31 grads$24k 1 yr$27k 5 yr$10k debt

31$23,883$27,465$9,500 Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesCert.

11 grads$18k 1 yr$21k 5 yr$7k debt

11$18,214$21,361$6,861 Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Accounting and Related ServicesCert.

4 grads$22k 1 yr$27k 5 yr$9k debt

4$22,081$27,062$8,507

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 Southern Careers Institute-Brownsville

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southern Careers Institute-Brownsville side by side →

Southern Careers Institute-Pharr

For-profit

Pharr, Texas · Small city · 2 mi to McAllen

Students: 596
Tuition: —
Transfer: 3%
Earnings: $27k

Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Ft Worth

For-profit

Fort Worth, Texas · Large city · 7 mi to Fort Worth

Students: 500
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $27k

Southern Careers Institute-Harlingen

For-profit

Harlingen, Texas · Small city · 24 mi to Brownsville

Students: 543
Tuition: —
Transfer: 4%
Earnings: $27k

Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Dallas

For-profit

Dallas, Texas · Large city · 5 mi to Dallas

Students: 415
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $27k

Southern Careers Institute-Austin

For-profit

Austin, Texas · Large city · 4 mi to Austin

Students: 746
Tuition: —
Transfer: 4%
Earnings: $27k

Southern Careers Institute-San Antonio

For-profit

San Antonio, Texas · Large city · 5 mi to San Antonio

Students: 584
Tuition: —
Transfer: 3%
Earnings: $27k

Colleges near Southern Careers Institute-Brownsville

UCAS University of Cosmetology Arts & Sciences - 03

Brownsville, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 24 students

< 1 mi

Salon & Spa Institute

Brownsville, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 71 students

< 1 mi

South Texas Vocational Technical Institute-Brownsville

Brownsville, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 423 students

< 1 mi

Mei Barber School

Brownsville, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 91 students

2 mi

Texas Southmost College

Brownsville, TX · Public · Associate · 3,372 students

3 mi

Southern Careers Institute-Harlingen

Harlingen, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 543 students

21 mi

UCAS University of Cosmetology Arts & Sciences-Harlingen

Harlingen, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 87 students

21 mi

Advanced Barber College and Hair Design

Weslaco, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 91 students

31 mi

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.