Public · University

Texas Southern University

Houston, Texas · Large city

96.9%
Admit rate
$16,590
Avg net price
22%
Graduation rate
$38,924
Median earnings

Texas Southern University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Houston, Texas (large city setting), enrolling 6,844 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicMidsize · 6,844 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 97% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southwestern Athletic ConferenceNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Texas Southern University's admitted students.

Admit rate
96.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
800–1000
Avg GPA (est.)
2.64

Enter a test score to see where you land against Texas Southern University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Texas Southern University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Houston, Texas

Houston is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States. However, the land then remained largely uninhabited from the late 1700s until settlement in the 1830s. Located in the American South, Houston is a diverse city with a large and growing international community. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
3 miles to Houston, TX
To the ocean
18 miles
Nearest airport
7 miles to William P. Hobby (HOU) · major hub

How Texas Southern University compares

Selectivity96.9%

More selective than 9% · #67 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average914

Higher than 1%

Graduation rate22%

Higher than 7% · #81 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention66%

Higher than 22%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,924

Higher than 12% · #85 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$16,590

Cheaper than 65% · #40 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$29,000

Lower than 5%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment6,844

Larger than 83%

Percentiles compare Texas Southern University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Texas.

Texas Southern University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

8,704students
  • Undergraduate6,84479%
  • Graduate1,86021%

Undergraduates by gender

6,844undergrads
  • Women4,04759%
  • Men2,79741%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White0.7%
  • Black86%
  • Hispanic8.0%
  • Asian0.6%
  • Other or multiracial4.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
6,844
Graduate enrollment
1,860
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
72%
First-generation students
39%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$22,141
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$78,570
Endowment
$102,120,225

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

Admissions

Admission rate
96.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
800–1000
SAT average
914
SAT reading
420–520
SAT math
380–480
ACT composite
15–19
Average GPA (estimated)
2.64

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,173
Out-of-state tuition
$21,473
Room & board
$12,800
Books & supplies
$1,654
Total cost of attendance
$27,052
Average net price
$16,590

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)
22%
Graduated on time (4 years)
7%
First-year retention
66%
Transferred to another college
24%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$32,986
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,924
Median debt at graduation
$29,000
Students with federal loans
67%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
19%

About 15% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
7%
Low-income (Pell)
20%
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
2,322
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
34%
Application fee
$42
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
436 (258 men · 178 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)152
Football120
Baseball40
Soccer32
Basketball30
Softball25
Volleyball17
Golf13
Bowling7

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
37
Property offenses (2022–2024)
64

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (8,704 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.

34reported offenses a year
12 violent a year21 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
12
Burglary
9.7
Aggravated assault
5.7
Rape
3.0
Fondling
2.0
Robbery
1.3
Negligent manslaughter
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
$16,437
$30–48k
$21,115
$48–75k
$21,280
$75–110k
$22,698
$110k+
$21,610

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.

Est. total to a degree
$107,259

$21,280/year × about 5.0 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.

84%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,186
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 84% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,186. 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 2,139 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)
$38,924
Typical debt at graduation
$29,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
75%
Out-earn a HS grad
43%

Typical debt would take roughly 7.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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
$38,100
Men
$40,584

Men out-earn women by $2,484 (7%) 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
44°F
Annual rain
54.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.04.07.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Houston-Port, TX US station (5.2 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 Texas Southern University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Texas Southern University side by side →

Colleges near Texas Southern University

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.