College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Sam Houston State University

TXLarge public institution · Overall rank #117 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places the university in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Sam Houston State University is a public university in Huntsville, Texas, whose degree mix is led by Security & Protective Services, Business, and Health Professions. Mobility is among the highest we track.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the model attributes part of that to the factors it measures, which adds, while what it cannot explain subtracts. Return is around the average, the weakest of the four , while the typical graduate earns below the median at comparable schools.

Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish within a few points of the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and access is well above average. The lowest income band pays well below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it, and affordability is above average.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are much smaller.

Sam Houston State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
90.3%
Six-year completion[2]
54.8%
Four-year earnings[3]
$57,044

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$15,540
Median student debt[4]
$21,983
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$19,433

Sam Houston State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Sam Houston State University enrolls 17,743 undergraduates at its public university campus in Huntsville, Texas. Its composite standing sits near the top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (the 92nd percentile).

Sam Houston State University offers admission to 90.3% of those who apply, a rate that can be set beside the 78.1% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Of the first-time, full-time cohort, 73.2% continue into a second year, compared with 83.1% at comparable institutions.

Six-year graduation, measured only among that same first-time group, stands at 54.8%; the comparable median is 65.0%. An estimated 37.6% of the student body arrives as transfers or part-time students, so the graduation figure captures only a slice of the people who ultimately earn degrees here.

Mobility is the strongest pillar for Sam Houston State University (the 96th percentile), while return is the weakest (the 50th percentile). Access and affordability fall between those extremes (the 89th and 69th percentiles).

The spread across the four is wide, with mobility near the top of the nonprofit four-year field and return near the middle.

Mobility is the clearest strength at Sam Houston State University, while return sits near the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth places mobility in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth puts access in the 89th percentile and affordability in the 69th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Return is the weakest pillar, at the 50th percentile.

Strong mobility and access stand alongside a more ordinary return measure, so the pillar picture is uneven rather than uniformly high.

Pell Grants go to 41.3% of undergraduates at Sam Houston State University, a financial-access measure that describes the undergraduate population. Azimuth ranks Sam Houston State University #169 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Among those recipients, the six-year completion rate is 58.9%, exceeding the rate for the entering cohort as a whole (54.8%) by 4.1 percentage points. Azimuth ranks Sam Houston State University #63 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $4,840 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome that coincides with the university's access and mobility ranks.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Sam Houston State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#117
Texas#16
South#40

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 96
Access & reach
National percentile: 89
Affordability
National percentile: 69
Return on investment
National percentile: 50

Top-ranked majors

  1. Agriculture, General#8
  2. Dance#8
  3. Graphic Communications#10

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Sam Houston State University briefing

Sam Houston State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Sam Houston State University is $25,505. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $7,320 and required fees of $4,050 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $11,984.

Out-of-state tuition is $19,470. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $16,404, meaning aid lowers the average cost by $9,101.

That is $770 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #437 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Price varies sharply by family-income band at Sam Houston State University, where the published cost of attendance is $25,505. For aid recipients in the lowest-income family band, average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,474; it is $13,389 in the lower-middle band and $15,540 in the middle band.

The upper-middle family-income band averages $21,366, compared with $24,101 for the highest-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,627.

Azimuth ranks the university #437 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, offsetting $9,101 against the sticker price.

Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $16,404. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, and this university's average is $770 above that figure.

Aid reduces the listed cost, though the overall average remains above the comparable-institution median. Federal borrowing is common among undergraduates, with 84.2% taking federal loans.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $21,983. The peer median debt at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076, putting this median $1,907 above the peer figure.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $19,433. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$15,540

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Sam Houston State University

Borrowing is common: 84.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $21,983. That median stands above the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $1,907.

Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $19,433. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 59% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $27,529 per borrower.

The figures include federal loans for 58% of graduates, averaging $22,708. They also include private loans for 10% of graduates, averaging $28,561.

At Sam Houston State University, modeled earnings exceed expectations, but borrowers' median debt is above the peer median. Four years after completion, graduates earn a median $57,044, placing that figure in the 39th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $4,840 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings scenarios based on the program mix set downside earnings at $46,564, typical earnings at $57,044, and upside earnings at $74,481. Median federal debt at completion is $21,983, $1,907 above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. Higher-than-expected earnings and comparatively higher debt pull the financial picture in different directions.

Among parent borrowers, median federal borrowing is $19,433, separate from student borrowing. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$21,983
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$19,433

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$250/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$247/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Sam Houston State University briefing

Sam Houston State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $57,044, in the 39th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That is $8,566 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $4,840 more than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 71st percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,640. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,800. Azimuth places the university at the 50th percentile for return.

Sam Houston State University graduates earn a median of $57,044 four years after completing a degree. That figure comes from 4,868 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled.

The median spans all bachelor's fields rather than isolating any single program. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that median sits at the 39th percentile.

Graduates earn about $4,840 more than the model expects for similar students. That outcome falls at the 71st percentile.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical outcome of $57,044, a downside of $46,564, and an upside of $74,481. These scenarios illustrate how earnings vary across different program clusters.

An estimated 24.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Sam Houston State University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $57,044, at the 39th percentile nationally. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $65,610, leaving the university $8,566 below that mark.

Azimuth ranks the university #731 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,840 more than the model expects for similar students.

That puts the gap at the 71st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,640.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,800. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $125.

The program mix points toward fields like criminal justice and business, which account for large graduating classes, alongside smaller technical and health programs. Estimated from that mix, the downside earnings scenario is $46,564 and the upside is $74,481.

An estimated 24.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Earnings vary substantially by field at Sam Houston State University. The downside and upside earnings scenarios range from $46,564 to $74,481, rather than describing observed groups of graduates.

For Sam Houston State University, the debt-and-earnings picture is mixed: borrower debt sits above the peer level, alongside earnings beyond expectations. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $21,983, which is $1,907 above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn about $4,840 more than the model expects for similar students.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,404, and aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Above-peer debt and higher-than-expected earnings pull in different directions.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$7,640
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$2,800
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$4,840

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Sam Houston State University briefing

Sam Houston State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Sam Houston State University admitted 90.3% of applicants, a rate above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 18,093 first-year applicants, 16,956 admitted applicants, and 3,376 enrolled students.

The admission rate describes outcomes across an applicant pool rather than an individual prediction.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
90.3%
25th percentile
930
Median
1020
75th percentile
1120

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Sam Houston State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Sam Houston State University?[12]

Program choice matters here: Construction Engineering Technology/Technician and Nursing sit at the higher-earning end of the featured fields four years after completion. Construction Engineering Technology/Technician has median earnings of $93,904 and 69 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #15 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Nursing reports $91,697 in median earnings with 154 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #140 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions. More moderate earnings appear in Music, at $58,743 with 48 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #10 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Psychology records $47,659 and 243 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth national field rank of #225 among nonprofit four-year institutions. The contrast between these fields makes the earnings picture depend substantially on the program selected.

Dance gives the program roster its highest national placement, and Sam Houston State University has 36 ranked programs alongside earnings data for 46 programs. Azimuth ranks Dance #8 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field; it awarded 27 degrees and its completers earn $48,568 four years after completion.

Agriculture ranks #8 nationally in its field, awarded 22 degrees, and has median earnings of $60,598 four years after completion. Graphic Communications ranks #10 nationally, with 53 degrees awarded and $42,579 in median earnings at the same point.

These fields show that national program standing and earnings vary considerably across the university’s offerings.

Sam Houston State University awards bachelor's degrees across 36 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 46 with published four-year earnings data. The degree mix is anchored by Security & Protective Services, which accounts for 20.4% of degrees awarded, followed by Business at 18.7% and Health Professions at 11.3%.

The largest program with published earnings is Criminal Justice, at 838 degrees awarded, with Business/Commerce next at 263 and Psychology at 243. The highest-ranked program is Dance, which carries a benchmark ratio of 1.22x against the national median for its field and median earnings of $48,568 four years after completion.

Agriculture ranks #8 nationally and #2 in Texas within its field, and its graduates earn a median of $60,598. Graphic Communications, with 53 degrees awarded, ranks #10 nationally and #1 in Texas within its field.

The highest-earning program is Computer and Information Sciences, where graduates earn $96,727 four years out, from 33 degrees awarded a year. Strength is concentrated across several fields, with the top-ranked programs spanning Dance, Agriculture, and Graphic Communications.

The largest programs by degrees awarded are not the highest-earning ones: Criminal Justice graduates earn $51,748, while the much smaller Computer and Information Sciences program leads in earnings. Nursing, the fifth-largest program with published earnings, is a notable exception, with graduates earning $91,697. Across all fields, 10.8% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Criminal Justice and Corrections 838 degrees awarded
$51,748
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 296 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Business/Commerce, General 263 degrees awarded
$63,837
Psychology, General 243 degrees awarded
$47,659
Communication and Media Studies 186 degrees awarded
$50,125
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 154 degrees awarded
$91,697

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Sam Houston State University briefing

How does Sam Houston State University serve students from different backgrounds?

Completion and modeled earnings give Sam Houston State University a strong mobility profile. Azimuth places its mobility pillar in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 54.8%, while Pell recipients complete at 58.9%, above the overall rate by 4.1 percentage points. Graduates earn about $4,840 more than the model expects for similar students.

That is earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, and it sits in the 71st percentile. Higher Pell completion and above-expected earnings point in the same direction.

Entry is broad at Sam Houston State University, where the admission rate is 90.3% and undergraduate enrollment totals 17,743 undergraduates. That scale includes several routes into the public university, rather than only a conventional first-year intake.

Pell Grant recipients represent 41.3% of undergraduates, and the estimated share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group is 37.6%. Azimuth places its access pillar in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Broad admission, Pell Grant participation, and transfer entry all point toward the same access profile.

06 / Sam Houston State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Sam Houston State University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Sam Houston State University.

Admissions peerUniversity of Houston-Downtown90.0% admitted
Comparison with Sam Houston State University
MeasureSam Houston State UniversityUniversity of Houston-Downtown
Peer earnings · 4 years$57,044$60,550+$3,506 vs Sam Houston State University
Average annual net price$16,404$10,542-$5,862 vs Sam Houston State University · lower cost
Admission rate90.3%90.0%
Explore University of Houston-Downtown →
Nearby alternativeStephen F Austin State UniversityNearby option · TX
Comparison with Sam Houston State University
MeasureSam Houston State UniversityStephen F Austin State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$57,044$55,013-$2,031 vs Sam Houston State University
Average annual net price$16,404$14,260-$2,144 vs Sam Houston State University · lower cost
Admission rate90.3%94.0%
Explore Stephen F Austin State University →
Higher-earnings alternativeOregon Institute of Technology$87,138 earnings
Comparison with Sam Houston State University
MeasureSam Houston State UniversityOregon Institute of Technology
Peer earnings · 4 years$57,044$87,138+$30,094 vs Sam Houston State University
Average annual net price$16,404$15,706-$698 vs Sam Houston State University · lower cost
Admission rate90.3%95.0%
Explore Oregon Institute of Technology →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Houston-Downtown$10,542 average net price
Comparison with Sam Houston State University
MeasureSam Houston State UniversityUniversity of Houston-Downtown
Peer earnings · 4 years$57,044$60,550+$3,506 vs Sam Houston State University
Average annual net price$16,404$10,542-$5,862 vs Sam Houston State University · lower cost
Admission rate90.3%90.0%
Explore University of Houston-Downtown →
Similar profileUniversity of New Mexico-Main CampusMatched across several measures
Comparison with Sam Houston State University
MeasureSam Houston State UniversityUniversity of New Mexico-Main Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$57,044$59,818+$2,774 vs Sam Houston State University
Average annual net price$16,404$15,489-$915 vs Sam Houston State University · lower cost
Admission rate90.3%95.2%
Explore University of New Mexico-Main Campus →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings