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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Houston-Clear Lake Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does University of Houston-Clear Lake cost after financial aid?

For aid recipients, University of Houston-Clear Lake has an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, of $15,563 against a published cost of attendance of $24,622. Published in-state tuition and fees are $7,770, out-of-state tuition and fees are $21,114, and room and board are $12,642.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported estimated books and supplies of $1,192, transportation of $1,984, and other expenses of $2,470. Average aid savings are $9,059, yet the net price is $1,495 above the peer median of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $15,563, $1,495 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who complete carry a median of $17,831 in federal loans, $3,398 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The affordability pillar falls in the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest income band pay $7,330 on average, while those in the highest band pay $21,898.

Average costs after grants and scholarships vary widely by family income, with lower-income aid recipients facing lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s. For aid recipients, the average net price is $7,330 in the lowest band; $12,470 in the next band; $19,458 in the middle band; $21,296 in the next-highest band; and $21,898 in the highest band.

Pell Grants go to 45.2% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,568.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$7,330

**$30–48K**
$12,470

**$48–75K**
$19,458

**$75–110K**
$21,296

**$110K+**
$21,898

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$15,563**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$14,731

**Estimated parent payment**
$187/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=university-of-houston-clear-lake#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=university-of-houston-clear-lake#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.