University of Houston: Acceptance Rate, Cost and Net Price

University of Houston is a public 4-year college in Houston, Texas with 38,380 undergraduates. It admits 74% of applicants, costs an average of $11,439 a year after grants and graduates 66% of its students.

Figures from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, released October 15, 2026. What each number covers.

University of Houston acceptance rate and admissions

University of Houston admitted 74% of applicants for fall 2024. The median acceptance rate at 4-year colleges is 77%.

Test scores: Considered but not required (as reported for fall 2024 admission). That means you can apply without SAT or ACT scores. Check the admissions office for the current policy.

SAT total

1160 to 1340

4001600

ACT composite

23 to 29

136

The colored band is the middle 50% of enrolled students in fall 2024 (reading and writing 590 to 670, math 570 to 670). The tick marks the typical 4-year college. Check how your scores fit.

University of Houston application deadlines 2026-27

Round	Deadline
Regular decision	May 31, 2027

Next deadline: Regular decision, May 31, 2027. Application fee through the Common App: $75 for U.S. applicants ($90 for international applicants). Confirm dates on University of Houston’s admissions page; see every college on the deadline calendar.

Source: Common App 2026-27 first-year deadlines, fees and requirements grid, updated Sep 25, 2026.

University of Houston tuition, cost and net price

Tuition and fees, in-state (2025-26)	$9,717
Tuition and fees, out-of-state (2025-26)	$22,427
On-campus housing and food (2025-26)	$11,286
Total cost of attendance (2024-25)	$23,250
Average net price after grants (2024-25)	$11,439

Students who get federal aid pay an average of $11,439 a year after grants and scholarships, $11,811 less than the full cost of attendance. This figure covers in-state students.

What families pay, by income

Average yearly cost after grants for aided first-time students paying in-state tuition, by family income (2024-25):

$0 to $30,000$8,468

$30,001 to $48,000$8,553

$48,001 to $75,000$8,529

$75,001 to $110,000$13,799

Over $110,000$21,065

Your own price depends on your family's full situation. Run University of Houston's net price calculator for a personal estimate, or make a "what it costs us" card.

University of Houston graduation rate, earnings and debt

66%

finished within 6 years

87%

came back for year two

47%

get a Pell Grant

66% of first-time, full-time students finished within six years (students who started in 2019).
Former students earned a median of $68,423 a year, 10 years after they started (students who received federal aid and were working).
Students who completed left with a median of $17,250 in federal student loans.

Earnings compared

University of Houston$68,423

Texas median, public 4-year$58,622

U.S. median, public 4-year$59,509

Debt compared

University of Houston$17,250

Texas median$18,750

U.S. median$19,500

Median debt is 25% of median earnings 10 years after entry. Many advisers suggest keeping total student debt below one year of expected pay. See the monthly payment.

University of Houston majors and what graduates earn

University of Houston awarded bachelor's degrees in 73 fields recently. The best-paid graduates four years out came from chemical engineering ($110,184).

Chemical engineering$110,184

Electrical engineering$107,399

Computer engineering$107,283

Computer and information sciences$98,790

Construction Engineering Technology/Technician$97,201

Industrial engineering$94,814

Petroleum Engineering$94,651

Mechanical engineering$93,275

All 73 majors at University of Houston

Major	Graduates (2023-24)	Earnings 1 yr after	Earnings 4 yrs after	Median debt
Chemical engineering	78	$90,666	$110,184	$23,605
Electrical engineering	70	$93,456	$107,399	$20,250
Computer engineering	45	$80,242	$107,283	$23,138
Computer and information sciences	435	$79,332	$98,790	$18,000
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician	143	$81,201	$97,201	$18,125
Industrial engineering	30	$85,212	$94,814	$16,250
Petroleum Engineering	13	$96,730	$94,651	n/a
Mechanical engineering	190	$79,753	$93,275	$19,687
Management information systems	389	$70,785	$91,983	$15,000
Nursing	84	$85,922	$91,276	$16,436
Civil engineering	71	$78,027	$89,653	$17,750
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians	31	$75,593	$87,022	n/a
Physics	18	n/a	$86,078	n/a
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians	66	$67,840	$84,692	$20,818
Accounting	296	$66,436	$84,668	$15,812
Computer Systems Analysis	265	$66,400	$82,416	$21,375
Biotechnology	85	$51,190	$78,750	$16,500
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians	42	$52,888	$78,396	$16,690
Economics	129	$53,160	$78,204	$18,065
Finance	420	$62,157	$78,009	$15,000
Business administration	581	$60,191	$73,125	$15,000
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations	1	$63,105	$72,199	n/a
Architecture	106	$58,366	$70,616	$27,500
Human resources	75	$49,657	$69,010	$18,750
Chemistry	23	$47,623	$68,504	$21,730
Marketing	453	$53,465	$68,139	$15,500
Geology and earth sciences	29	$46,533	$68,127	$16,625
Graphic and industrial design	41	$45,608	$64,612	n/a
Business/Corporate Communications	2	n/a	$64,374	n/a
Mathematics	65	$58,310	$62,833	$16,750
Political science	202	$38,066	$61,533	$17,000
Biochemistry and molecular biology	74	$39,570	$61,122	$17,500
Public relations and advertising	137	$39,143	$60,180	$14,475
Interdisciplinary studies, other	229	$58,427	$58,705	$15,500
Liberal arts and general studies	34	$45,000	$58,450	$25,125
Biology	354	$29,347	$57,716	$15,385
Music	68	n/a	$56,667	$22,600
Romance languages	29	$48,617	$56,442	n/a
Philosophy	32	n/a	$55,875	$19,570
History	74	$47,003	$55,475	$16,744
Human development and family studies	84	$44,097	$54,871	$19,250
Health professions, general	303	$41,338	$54,471	$17,500
Speech-language pathology	80	$36,873	$54,126	$15,211
Kinesiology and exercise science	368	$34,297	$53,483	$18,500
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services	46	$45,945	$53,410	$18,750
Hospitality management	154	$43,338	$53,344	$17,000
Journalism	53	$45,054	$53,195	$17,625
Psychology	726	$36,612	$52,892	$17,750
Computer Software and Media Applications	107	$43,079	$51,596	$19,705
English	111	$38,243	$49,884	$19,000
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services	134	$30,160	$49,724	$18,250
Communication	34	$45,595	$49,545	n/a
Sociology	73	$36,719	$45,530	$18,000
Fine and studio arts	90	n/a	$45,446	n/a
Theater	28	n/a	$42,301	n/a
Anthropology	34	$34,982	$42,146	$17,750
Radio, TV and digital media	99	n/a	$40,419	n/a
Business analytics and operations research	108	n/a	n/a	$19,500
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General	80	n/a	n/a	$20,875
Biomedical engineering	52	$59,725	n/a	$17,050
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	41	$55,989	n/a	n/a
Environmental science	24	$47,522	n/a	n/a
Interior Architecture	22	n/a	n/a	n/a
Film and photography	12	n/a	n/a	n/a
Linguistics	10	n/a	n/a	n/a
Dance	10	n/a	n/a	n/a
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	9	n/a	n/a	n/a
Area Studies	8	n/a	n/a	n/a
American Sign Language	8	n/a	n/a	n/a
Applied mathematics	5	n/a	n/a	n/a
Public Policy Analysis	4	n/a	n/a	n/a
Environmental Design	3	n/a	n/a	n/a
Religious studies	1	n/a	n/a	n/a

Four-year earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Fields with few graduates have no published earnings.

Graduate programs at University of Houston

112 graduate programs awarded degrees recently. Largest first.

Show 112 graduate programs

Program	Degree	Graduates (2023-24)	Earnings 1 yr after	Median debt
Law	Professional doctorate	280	$106,505	$88,521
Social work	Master's	267	$59,172	$40,396
Business administration	Master's	174	$109,810	$41,000
Data analytics	Master's	149	n/a	$20,500
Engineering, general	Master's	125	n/a	n/a
Pharmacy	Professional doctorate	105	$100,254	$131,687
Industrial engineering	Master's	89	n/a	n/a
Optometry	Professional doctorate	84	$111,862	$163,834
IT and network administration	Master's	83	$105,963	$29,614
Curriculum and Instruction	Master's	83	$67,767	$27,365
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician	Master's	80	n/a	n/a
Computer and information sciences	Master's	64	n/a	n/a
Systems Engineering	Master's	56	n/a	n/a
Education leadership	Master's	52	$67,144	$32,083
Education leadership	Doctoral	50	$87,973	$51,077
Information science	Master's	49	n/a	n/a
Hospitality management	Master's	44	$58,299	$24,500
Business analytics and operations research	Master's	44	$78,473	$35,683
Marketing	Master's	44	$72,751	$30,750
Electrical engineering	Master's	40	n/a	n/a
School counseling and student services	Master's	38	$59,793	$52,079
Applied mathematics	Master's	36	$88,166	$23,591
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services	Master's	33	n/a	$35,651
Clinical and counseling psychology	Doctoral	33	$78,198	$42,644
Mechanical engineering	Master's	32	n/a	n/a
Human resources	Master's	31	$70,763	$30,750
Architectural Sciences and Technology	Master's	30	$57,775	$41,000
Electrical engineering	Doctoral	26	n/a	n/a
Biology	Master's	25	n/a	$20,500
Civil engineering	Master's	24	n/a	n/a
Music	Master's	24	n/a	n/a
Biomedical engineering	Master's	23	$79,549	n/a
Geology and earth sciences	Master's	23	$78,987	n/a
Economics	Master's	23	n/a	n/a
Communication	Master's	22	n/a	n/a
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies	Master's	22	n/a	n/a
Geology and earth sciences	Doctoral	22	n/a	n/a
Psychology	Master's	22	n/a	n/a
Theater	Master's	22	n/a	n/a
Medicine	Professional doctorate	21	n/a	n/a
Statistics	Master's	20	$90,511	n/a
Speech-language pathology	Master's	20	$69,522	$34,327
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General	Master's	19	n/a	n/a
Special education	Master's	18	n/a	n/a
Chemistry	Doctoral	18	n/a	n/a
Biology	Doctoral	17	n/a	n/a
Computer and information sciences	Doctoral	16	n/a	n/a
Fine and studio arts	Master's	16	n/a	n/a
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services	Master's	15	n/a	n/a
Mathematics	Doctoral	15	n/a	n/a
Public administration	Master's	15	n/a	n/a
Allied health (PA, radiography, therapy and more)	Master's	15	$48,516	$56,718
Physics	Doctoral	14	n/a	n/a
Public Policy Analysis	Master's	14	$75,092	n/a
Music	Doctoral	14	n/a	n/a
Chemical engineering	Doctoral	13	n/a	n/a
Aerospace engineering	Master's	12	n/a	n/a
Mechanical engineering	Doctoral	12	n/a	n/a
Kinesiology and exercise science	Master's	11	n/a	n/a
Sociology	Master's	10	n/a	n/a
Pharmacy	Doctoral	10	n/a	n/a
Chemical engineering	Master's	9	n/a	n/a
Materials Engineering	Doctoral	9	n/a	n/a
Petroleum Engineering	Master's	9	n/a	n/a
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies	Master's	9	n/a	n/a
Curriculum and Instruction	Doctoral	8	n/a	n/a
Environmental engineering	Master's	8	n/a	n/a
Economics	Doctoral	8	n/a	n/a
Arts management	Master's	8	n/a	n/a
Nursing	Master's	8	n/a	n/a
Romance languages	Doctoral	7	n/a	n/a
Philosophy	Master's	7	n/a	n/a
Materials Engineering	Master's	6	n/a	n/a
Petroleum Engineering	Doctoral	6	n/a	n/a
Industrial engineering	Doctoral	6	n/a	n/a
English	Doctoral	6	n/a	n/a
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology	Doctoral	6	n/a	n/a
Pharmacy	Master's	6	n/a	n/a
Nursing	Doctoral	6	n/a	n/a
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	Master's	6	n/a	n/a
Biomedical engineering	Doctoral	5	n/a	n/a
Biochemistry and molecular biology	Doctoral	5	n/a	n/a
Physiology	Doctoral	5	n/a	n/a
Kinesiology and exercise science	Doctoral	5	n/a	n/a
Social work	Doctoral	5	n/a	n/a
Anthropology	Master's	5	n/a	n/a
Hospitality management	Doctoral	5	n/a	n/a
Engineering-Related Fields	Master's	4	n/a	n/a
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies	Doctoral	4	n/a	n/a
Physiology	Master's	4	n/a	n/a
Mathematics	Master's	4	n/a	n/a
Physics	Master's	4	n/a	n/a
Research and experimental psychology	Doctoral	4	n/a	n/a
Business administration	Doctoral	4	n/a	n/a
History	Master's	4	n/a	n/a
Civil engineering	Doctoral	3	n/a	n/a
English	Master's	3	n/a	n/a
Political science	Doctoral	3	n/a	n/a
Linguistics	Master's	2	n/a	n/a
Romance languages	Master's	2	n/a	n/a
Chemistry	Master's	2	n/a	n/a
Political science	Master's	2	n/a	n/a
Graphic and industrial design	Master's	2	n/a	n/a
Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities	Master's	2	n/a	n/a
History	Doctoral	2	n/a	n/a
Architectural history	Master's	1	n/a	n/a
Public relations and advertising	Master's	1	n/a	n/a
Computer engineering	Doctoral	1	n/a	n/a
Environmental engineering	Doctoral	1	n/a	n/a
Surveying Engineering	Master's	0	n/a	n/a
Biochemistry and molecular biology	Master's	0	n/a	n/a
Accounting	Master's	0	$73,911	n/a

Students and location

Frequently asked questions

What is the acceptance rate at University of Houston?

University of Houston admitted 74% of applicants for fall 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

How much does University of Houston cost?

Tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $9,717 for in-state students and $22,427 for out-of-state students. After grants and scholarships, aided students paid an average net price of $11,439 a year in 2024-25.

What SAT score do you need for University of Houston?

The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 590 to 670 in reading and writing and 570 to 670 in math, and 23 to 29 on the ACT. Scores inside these ranges are typical for admitted students.

Is University of Houston test-optional?

For fall 2024 admission, University of Houston reported that test scores were: considered but not required. Policies change, so confirm with the admissions office.

What is the graduation rate at University of Houston?

66% of first-time, full-time students finished within six years.

How much do University of Houston graduates make?

Former students who received federal aid earned a median of $68,423 a year 10 years after they started, in 2024 dollars.

Similar colleges

Matched on location, type, selectivity, size, net price and graduation rate.

University of North TexasDenton, TX72% admitted · $15,358 net price Texas Tech UniversityLubbock, TX73% admitted · $19,890 net price The University of Texas at San AntonioSan Antonio, TX87% admitted · $9,872 net price The University of Texas at ArlingtonArlington, TX80% admitted · $17,040 net price The University of Texas at DallasRichardson, TX65% admitted · $15,271 net price Texas State UniversitySan Marcos, TX89% admitted · $16,660 net price

More: all colleges in Texas · colleges in Houston · University of Houston on the College Scorecard

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, data release of October 15, 2026. What each figure means and the year it covers.