Public · Community college

Texas Southmost College

Brownsville, Texas · Midsize city

0%
Transfer rate
$3,085
Avg net price
30%
Grad / completion
$41,900
Median earnings

Texas Southmost College is a public associate-granting institution in Brownsville, Texas (midsize city setting), enrolling 3,372 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,372 undergradsMidsize cityNJCAA Division IMild 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
Brownsville, TX
To the ocean
16 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Brownsville South Padre Island (BRO)

How Texas Southmost College compares

Graduation rate30%

Higher than 12% · #216 of 253 in Texas

First-year retention68%

Higher than 40%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,900

Higher than 76% · #36 of 206 in Texas

Average net price$3,085

Cheaper than 96% · #10 cheapest of 252 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$9,000

Lower than 66%

Student–faculty ratio23 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment3,372

Larger than 87%

Percentiles compare Texas Southmost 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

3,372undergrads
  • Women1,85855%
  • Men1,51445%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White1.9%
  • Hispanic93%
  • 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
3,372
Student–faculty ratio
23 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
56%
Students over 25
8%
Median family income
$18,075
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$56,907
Endowment
$209,870

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 953 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas99%
  • International0.9%

Most first-years stay in state — Texas Southmost College draws overwhelmingly from Texas.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$3,148
Out-of-state tuition
$4,948
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,470
Total cost of attendance
$10,999
Average net price
$3,085

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
30%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,992
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,900
Median debt at graduation
$9,000
Students with federal loans
6%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
35%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
30%
Low-income (Pell)
25%
First-generation
25%

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
75 (38 men · 37 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)

Soccer59
Cross Country16

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)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (8,828 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
0 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Arson
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
$1,696
$30–48k
$3,295
$48–75k
$6,051
$75–110k
$10,002
$110k+
$10,999

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?

Texas Southmost College funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.

Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$41,900
Typical debt at graduation
$9,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
21%
Out-earn a HS grad
46%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 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
$39,051
Men
$45,701

Men out-earn women by $6,650 (17%) 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
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wfo Brownsville, TX US station (4.7 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 Texas Southmost College

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

Colleges near Texas Southmost 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.