Public · University

University of Houston-Downtown

Houston, Texas · Large city

90.0%
Admit rate
$10,542
Avg net price
33%
Graduation rate
$53,551
Median earnings

University of Houston-Downtown is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Houston, Texas (large city setting), enrolling 12,555 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicMidsize · 12,555 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 90% admitNear the coast

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
90.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
940–1110
Avg GPA (est.)
2.96

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

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Houston-Downtown'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
1 mile to Houston, TX
To the ocean
18 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to William P. Hobby (HOU) · major hub

How University of Houston-Downtown compares

Selectivity90.0%

More selective than 24% · #50 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average1029

Higher than 12%

Graduation rate33%

Higher than 14% · #68 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention67%

Higher than 24%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$53,551

Higher than 49% · #52 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$10,542

Cheaper than 89% · #11 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$18,750

Lower than 81%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment12,555

Larger than 91%

Percentiles compare University of Houston-Downtown 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-Downtown campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

13,663students
  • Undergraduate12,55592%
  • Graduate1,1088%

Undergraduates by gender

12,555undergrads
  • Women8,20865%
  • Men4,34735%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White9.9%
  • Black17%
  • Hispanic59%
  • Asian8.2%
  • Other or multiracial5.3%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
12,555
Graduate enrollment
1,108
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
55%
First-generation students
53%
Students over 25
42%
Median family income
$24,910
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$84,789
Endowment
$64,433,695

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 1,491 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas99%
  • Other U.S. states0.6%

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

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
90.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
940–1110
SAT average
1029
SAT reading
480–560
SAT math
460–550
ACT composite
16–22
Average GPA (estimated)
2.96

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,708
Out-of-state tuition
$17,548
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,300
Total cost of attendance
$20,749
Average net price
$10,542

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)
33%
Graduated on time (4 years)
14%
First-year retention
67%
Transferred to another college
30%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$49,120
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$53,551
Median debt at graduation
$18,750
Students with federal loans
30%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
36%

About 19% 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
14%
Low-income (Pell)
49%
First-generation
48%

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
$50

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
10

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (13,730 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.

4.0reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year3.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
2.7
Burglary
0.7
Rape
0.3
Fondling
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
$9,439
$30–48k
$10,048
$48–75k
$11,247
$75–110k
$15,488
$110k+
$19,380

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
$54,546

$11,247/year × about 4.8 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.

19%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,400
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 19% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,400. 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 1,210 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)
$53,551
Typical debt at graduation
$18,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
35%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 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
$51,503
Men
$58,005

Men out-earn women by $6,502 (13%) 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 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-Downtown

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

Colleges near University of Houston-Downtown

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.