College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Texas Southern University

TXMedium public institution · Overall rank #222 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places Texas Southern University in the 85th percentile overall.

Who it’s a good fit for

The fit is clearest for a student who wants a public university in Texas that opens its doors wide. Texas Southern University admits nearly all applicants, and access is among the highest we track.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes most of that to a remainder it does not explain rather than to the factors it measures.

Return is around the average, while mobility is well above average. Pell recipients finish at a rate above the entering cohort as a whole.

Affordability is around the average, and the spread between the lowest and highest income bands is narrow. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are much smaller.

Civil Engineering graduates report the highest earnings, from a fraction of the degrees awarded in Biology or Business Administration and Management.

Texas Southern University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
96.9%
Six-year completion[2]
22.2%
Four-year earnings[3]
$55,112

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$21,280
Median student debt[4]
$29,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$19,929

Texas Southern University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Texas Southern University is a public university in Houston, Texas, enrolling 6,844 undergraduates. Its composite standing in the Azimuth ranking is near the top of the field among nonprofit four-year institutions (85th percentile).

Texas Southern University is an open-access institution, admitting 96.9% of applicants, a rate above the 85.9% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 66.2% return for a second year and 22.2% finish within six years.

Both figures run below the peer medians of 73.7% and 49.1%. An estimated 26.7% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so a significant portion of the incoming class did not start here.

The six-year rate counts first-time, full-time students only, and at a school with a large transfer intake it describes a minority of the people who study here. The four are spread out.

Access is the strongest (95th percentile) and mobility is also strong (87th percentile). Return and affordability sit near the middle of the field (51st and 49th percentiles), with affordability as the weakest of the four.

The shape is a broad-access public university in Texas where the access and mobility pillars stand well above the other two.

Access is the clearest strength at Texas Southern University, with the access pillar in Azimuth’s 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, mobility falls in the 87th percentile, return in the 51st percentile, and affordability in the 49th percentile.

Access is the strongest pillar and affordability the weakest, so the school’s access and mobility measures stand apart from its return and cost measures.

72.3% of undergraduates at Texas Southern University receive Pell Grants. The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 800 and 1,000.

The middle 50% of submitted ACT scores fell between 15 and 19. Azimuth ranks the university #73 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 26.9%, which is 4.7 percentage points above the overall six-year graduation rate (22.2%). For mobility, Azimuth ranks Texas Southern University #185 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $11,945 more than the model expects for similar students.

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

Texas Southern University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#222
Texas#23
South#76

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 87
Access & reach
National percentile: 95
Affordability
National percentile: 49
Return on investment
National percentile: 51

Top-ranked majors

  1. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication#33
  2. Health and Medical Administrative Services#73
  3. Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General#74

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 / Texas Southern University briefing

Texas Southern University cost & financial aid[6][7]

Texas Southern University has a published annual cost of $27,052, so the amount of aid available matters substantially for what recipients pay. Published in-state tuition and fees are $9,173, compared with $21,473 for out-of-state tuition and fees.

Room and board add $12,800. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,590, with $10,462 in average aid savings against the published cost.

Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, putting this average $2,522 above that benchmark.

Azimuth places affordability in the 49th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid cuts the published cost, though the average recipient price remains above the peer comparison.

The published cost of attendance at Texas Southern University is $27,052. Azimuth ranks the university #719 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,437 in the lowest family-income band, $21,115 in the lower-middle band, $21,280 in the middle band, $22,698 in the upper-middle band, and $21,610 in the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,173.

Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the across all bands to $16,590. That is $2,522 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $29,000 in federal student loans, $7,771 above the $21,229 peer median. 81.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $19,929 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $330 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$21,280

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Texas Southern University

Federal borrowing is common at Texas Southern University, and borrowers who complete carry more debt than peers. The median federal student loan debt at completion is $29,000.

Federal loans are used by 81.6% of federal aid recipients. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $21,229; Texas Southern’s median is above that figure by $7,771.

For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing is $19,929.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Texas Southern University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $55,112. That median sits $2,189 below the $57,301 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The median lands at the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $11,945 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the earnings gap in the 86th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix span from $44,066 on the downside to $69,634 on the upside, with $55,112 as the typical outcome.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $29,000 in federal loans, $7,771 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that amount corresponds to an estimated payment of $330 a month.

Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate parent-borrower population, have median borrowing of $19,929. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $330 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
$29,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$19,929

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$330/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$253/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 / Texas Southern University briefing

Texas Southern University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Graduates of Texas Southern University earn about $11,945 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that earnings-beyond-expectations measure in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That measure is the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. Of that gap, the model attributes $1,198 to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market), a share that adds to that gap.

It attributes $10,747 to a remainder it does not explain, which adds. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 51st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Median earnings four years after completion are $55,112, in the 33rd percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301, with the university $2,189 below it.

Higher-than-expected earnings and below-peer median earnings make the return picture mixed.

For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, Texas Southern University has median earnings of $55,112 four years after completion. Azimuth places those earnings in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings cohort includes 911 completers. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offers a separate model-based view.

Graduates earn about $11,945 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

A typical earnings scenario based on the program mix is $55,112. An estimated 29.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

These figures describe completers, with outcomes varying across fields and further-study plans.

At Texas Southern University, the return picture is mixed. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $55,112 four years after completion, in the 33rd percentile.

That is $2,189 below the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $57,301. Graduates earn about $11,945 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, is in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $1,198.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $10,747. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $792.

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix put the downside at $44,066 and the upside at $69,634. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 51st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Higher-than-expected earnings and a below-peer median point in different directions. Biology is the largest listed program, with 78 degrees awarded and median earnings of $55,321 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #259 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Civil Engineering had 16 degrees awarded and $71,595 in median earnings, while Finance had 33 degrees awarded and $70,201.

Radio, Television, and Digital Communication recorded 46 degrees awarded, median earnings of $51,195, and an Azimuth national rank of #33 in its field. These programs show earnings that vary by field, alongside different program sizes and national standings.

The program mix at Texas Southern University carries a broad modeled earnings range rather than a single outcome. The downside scenario is $44,066 and the upside scenario is $69,634, both four years after completion; the university has 17 programs with published earnings data.

Several higher-earning fields sit near the upper end: Civil Engineering shows median earnings of $71,595, Finance shows $70,201, and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies shows $62,728, all four years after completion. Field choice matters within the modeled range.

The financial return at Texas Southern University is mixed, with debt requiring close attention alongside its graduate earnings. Graduates earn about $11,945 more than the model expects for similar students.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $29,000, $7,771 above the $21,229 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $330 a month if repaid over ten years.

Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,590. Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

The average net price is $2,522 above the $14,068 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Higher borrowing and earnings beyond expectations pull the return picture in different directions.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$1,198
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$10,747
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$11,945

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 / Texas Southern University briefing

Texas Southern University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Texas Southern University admitted 96.9% of applicants in the reported entering class, so the published rate shows that admission was available to most applicants in that pool. That rate is above the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
96.9%
Approximate lower endpoint
800
Reported average
914
Approximate upper endpoint
1000

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Texas Southern University briefing

What are the largest majors at Texas Southern University?[12]

Four-year earnings differ across Texas Southern University’s nationally ranked programs, making field a central part of the return picture. Health Sciences reports median earnings of $44,612 four years after completion and 38 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #74 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Radio, Television, and Digital Communication records $51,195 with 46 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #33 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions. Health and Medical Administrative Services records $48,426 and 53 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth rank of #73 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The lower earnings in the first field and more moderate figures in the other fields show why the schoolwide median does not describe every program.

Texas Southern University has 14 bachelor’s programs with Azimuth national field ranks, and published earnings data cover 17 programs. The ranked fields show different combinations of award volume and earnings four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks Radio, Television, and Digital Communication #33 nationally within its field; it awarded 46 degrees and its completers earned $51,195 four years after completion. Health and Medical Administrative Services ranks #73 in its field, with 53 degrees awarded and $48,426 in earnings.

Health Sciences ranks #74 in its field, awarded 38 degrees, and shows $44,612 in earnings.

The bachelor's degrees at Texas Southern University are spread across a broad set of fields, with no single family dominating the mix. Business accounts for the largest share at 19.1% of degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 11.4% and Communication & Journalism at 8.9%.

The university has 17 programs with published four-year earnings data, and 14 of its programs hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest programs by degrees awarded are Biology with 78 degrees awarded, Business Administration and Management with 77, and Liberal Arts and General Studies with 75.

The highest-ranked program is Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, with 46 degrees awarded, four-year median earnings of $51,195, and a state rank of #5 in Texas. The highest-earning program is Civil Engineering, where graduates earn a median of $71,595 four years after completion, from a smaller cohort of 16 degrees awarded.

Finance is the second-highest-earning, with a median of $70,201 and 33 degrees awarded. Criminal Justice awards 62 degrees, has four-year median earnings of $45,961, and ranks #200 nationally within its field.

The pattern here is one of breadth rather than concentration: the largest programs are not the highest-earning, and the highest-ranked program sits outside the three largest by degrees awarded. 14.8% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, a share that coincides with the highest earnings coming from engineering and finance rather than the largest programs.

A student drawn to the largest majors should know that the strongest earnings and national ranks are found in smaller, more specialized programs.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Biology, General 78 degrees awarded
$55,321
Business Administration, Management and Operations 77 degrees awarded
$53,203
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 75 degrees awarded
$44,953
Criminal Justice and Corrections 62 degrees awarded
$45,961
Psychology, General 59 degrees awarded
$47,185
Health and Medical Administrative Services 53 degrees awarded
$48,426

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 / Texas Southern University briefing

How does Texas Southern University serve students from different backgrounds?

The mobility picture pairs strong standing with Pell completion above the overall graduation rate. Azimuth puts the mobility pillar in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 22.2%; Pell recipients complete at 26.9%, above the overall rate by 4.7 percentage points. Graduates earn about $11,945 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, sits in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Above-overall Pell completion and higher-than-expected earnings point in the same direction.

Texas Southern University serves 6,844 undergraduates, with 72.3% receiving Pell Grants, indicating that federal grant recipients form much of its undergraduate body. Azimuth places its access pillar in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The university admits 96.9% of applicants and has an estimated 26.7% share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group, so both admission and transfer entry are part of its access picture. The high access placement and Pell Grant share point in the same direction.

06 / Texas Southern University briefing

What colleges are similar to Texas Southern 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 Texas Southern University.

Admissions peerTexas A&M University-San Antonio92.8% admitted
Comparison with Texas Southern University
MeasureTexas Southern UniversityTexas A&M University-San Antonio
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,112$55,112$0 vs Texas Southern University
Average annual net price$16,590$11,196-$5,394 vs Texas Southern University · lower cost
Admission rate96.9%92.8%
Explore Texas A&M University-San Antonio →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of Houston-Clear LakeNearby option · TX
Comparison with Texas Southern University
MeasureTexas Southern UniversityUniversity of Houston-Clear Lake
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,112$59,865+$4,753 vs Texas Southern University
Average annual net price$16,590$15,563-$1,027 vs Texas Southern University · lower cost
Admission rate96.9%90.5%
Explore University of Houston-Clear Lake →
Higher-earnings alternativeGeorge Mason University$78,425 earnings
Comparison with Texas Southern University
MeasureTexas Southern UniversityGeorge Mason University
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,112$78,425+$23,313 vs Texas Southern University
Average annual net price$16,590$17,915+$1,325 vs Texas Southern University · higher cost
Admission rate96.9%87.5%
Explore George Mason University →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Houston-Downtown$10,542 average net price
Comparison with Texas Southern University
MeasureTexas Southern UniversityUniversity of Houston-Downtown
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,112$60,550+$5,438 vs Texas Southern University
Average annual net price$16,590$10,542-$6,048 vs Texas Southern University · lower cost
Admission rate96.9%90.0%
Explore University of Houston-Downtown →
Similar profileTexas A&M University-San AntonioMatched across several measures
Comparison with Texas Southern University
MeasureTexas Southern UniversityTexas A&M University-San Antonio
Peer earnings · 4 years$55,112$55,112$0 vs Texas Southern University
Average annual net price$16,590$11,196-$5,394 vs Texas Southern University · lower cost
Admission rate96.9%92.8%
Explore Texas A&M University-San Antonio →

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 is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. 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