Public · University

University of Houston

Houston, Texas · Large city

73.9%
Admit rate
$14,276
Avg net price
65%
Graduation rate
$62,377
Median earnings

University of Houston is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Houston, Texas (large city setting), enrolling 38,380 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 38,380 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 74% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Big Twelve ConferenceNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Houston's admitted students.

Admit rate
73.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
1160–1340
Avg GPA
3.49

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

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Houston'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
17 miles
Nearest airport
7 miles to William P. Hobby (HOU) · major hub

How University of Houston compares

Selectivity73.9%

More selective than 57% · #32 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average1250

Higher than 70%

Graduation rate65%

Higher than 68% · #19 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention87%

Higher than 81%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$62,377

Higher than 72% · #22 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$14,276

Cheaper than 75% · #33 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$18,194

Lower than 84%

Student–faculty ratio22 : 1

Lower than 6%

Undergraduate enrollment38,380

Larger than 99%

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

University of Houston campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

47,103students
  • Undergraduate38,38081%
  • Graduate8,72319%

Undergraduates by gender

38,380undergrads
  • Women20,17653%
  • Men18,20447%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White16%
  • Black12%
  • Hispanic38%
  • Asian23%
  • Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
38,380
Graduate enrollment
8,723
Student–faculty ratio
22 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
42%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
12%
Median family income
$33,198
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$119,178
Endowment
$1,313,224,792

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 5,652 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas93%
  • Other U.S. states2.7%
  • International4.3%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Houston draws overwhelmingly from Texas.

4% 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
73.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1160–1340
SAT average
1250
SAT reading
590–670
SAT math
570–670
ACT composite
23–29
Average GPA
3.49

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,717
Out-of-state tuition
$22,547
Room & board
$11,286
Books & supplies
$1,430
Total cost of attendance
$26,185
Average net price
$14,276

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)
65%
Graduated on time (4 years)
43%
First-year retention
87%
Transferred to another college
6%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$52,768
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$62,377
Median debt at graduation
$18,194
Students with federal loans
32%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
57%

About 22% 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
43%
Low-income (Pell)
53%
First-generation
52%

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
8,397
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
22%
Housing charge (year)
$5,880
Meal plan (year)
$4,950
Application fee
$75
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Big Twelve Conference
Varsity athletes
588 (327 men · 261 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 (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)259
Football119
Baseball47
Swimming and Diving (combined)33
Soccer32
Basketball28
Golf22
Softball22
Volleyball19
Tennis7

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
105
Property offenses (2022–2024)
383

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (47,980 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.

163reported offenses a year
35 violent a year128 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
66
Motor vehicle theft
61
Rape
16
Aggravated assault
9.3
Fondling
5.7
Robbery
4.3
Arson
0.7

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
$10,929
$30–48k
$10,220
$48–75k
$12,528
$75–110k
$19,197
$110k+
$23,811

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
$56,440

$12,528/year × about 4.5 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.

56%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,252
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 56% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,252. 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 5,102 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)
$62,377
Typical debt at graduation
$18,194
Debt vs. one year's pay
29%
Out-earn a HS grad
73%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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
$59,031
Men
$67,807

Men out-earn women by $8,776 (15%) 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 (4.2 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 University of Houston

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

Colleges near University of Houston

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.