Cost & financial aid brief
University of Houston-Clear Lake Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Houston-Clear Lake cost after financial aid?
At University of Houston-Clear Lake, aid lowers published charges more at lower family incomes than at higher ones. The published cost of attendance is $24,622, while the average net price for aid recipients is $15,563, a sticker-to-net gap of $9,059.
Aid covers about 37% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Across the listed family-income bands, average net prices move upward from the lowest-income group through the upper-income group.
That pattern shows aid concentrated more heavily at lower incomes, although these averages do not determine any particular family’s package. The published cost and income-based pricing point to a more substantial average discount for lower-income aid recipients.
At University of Houston-Clear Lake, the published cost of attendance is $24,622, but aid recipients’ prices differ sharply by family income. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $7,330 in the lowest family-income band, $12,470 in the lower-middle band, $19,458 in the middle band, $21,296 in the upper-middle band, and $21,898 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,568, and Azimuth ranks the university #243 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 37% of the published cost, an average savings of $9,059 against the sticker price.
Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $15,563. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, with the university’s average net price $1,495 above that figure.
Published in-state tuition is $7,770, and out-of-state tuition is $21,114. Borrowing is lower than the comparable-institution median, though federal loans are still part of the cost picture for many undergraduates.
Federal student loan borrowers who completed have median debt of $17,831, and 63.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, placing the university’s median $3,398 below it.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $203 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $14,731.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who finish at University of Houston-Clear Lake carry a median of $17,831 in federal student loans, $3,398 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). About 63.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $203 a month. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $14,731 in Parent PLUS loans.
At University of Houston-Clear Lake, the investment picture combines above-expected earnings with federal debt below the peer median. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $59,865 four years after completion, placing the university in the 51st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, are in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,656 more than the model expects for similar students.
The downside and upside earnings scenarios are $48,618 and $75,554, while the typical scenario matches the observed median. Median federal student loan debt is $17,831, below the $21,229 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $3,398.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $203 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings and lower peer-relative debt point in the same direction.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $14,731. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $203 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $14,731
- Estimated parent payment
- $187/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 11.0% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 5.0% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.4% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.5% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $17,831
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $14,731
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $203/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $187/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $390/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $59,865, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.8% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
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. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.