College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of Houston-Downtown

TXLarge public institution · Overall rank #73 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks University of Houston-Downtown #73 nationally.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of Houston-Downtown is a public university in Houston where the degree mix is led by Business and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies. Most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study.

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

The advantage is not simply a matter of field of study or the local labor market. Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish above the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and mobility is among the highest we track.

Access and affordability are also among the highest we track and among the highest we track, while return is above average. The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions.

A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are much smaller.

UH Downtown at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
90.0%
Six-year completion[2]
33.2%
Four-year earnings[3]
$60,550

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$11,247
Median student debt[4]
$18,750
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$10,000

UH Downtown rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

University of Houston-Downtown is a public university in Houston, Texas, enrolling 12,555 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the top decile of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (95th percentile).

The university admits 90.0% of applicants, a rate above the 78.1% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Of students who start full time, 67.1% return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.1%.

The six-year graduation rate for that cohort is 33.2%, well below the peer median of 65.0%. An estimated 74.3% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the graduation rate describes a minority of the student body.

The four are spread apart: mobility, access and affordability cluster near the top of the ranking, while return sits well below them. Mobility is the strongest pillar (96th percentile), with access and affordability close behind (94th and 92nd percentiles).

Return, at the 63rd percentile, is the weakest of the four. The shape is a public university that admits most applicants and where Pell students finish at a rate above the overall cohort.

Azimuth ranks University of Houston-Downtown #73 among nonprofit four-year institutions. The strongest pillar is mobility, in the 96th percentile.

Access and affordability are also strong, in the 94th and 92nd percentiles respectively. The return pillar is the weakest, in the 63rd percentile, reflecting median earnings four years after completion that are below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

55.2% of undergraduates at University of Houston-Downtown receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks University of Houston-Downtown #89 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients in the entering cohort complete at 48.4%, which is 15.2 percentage points above the overall six-year graduation rate. Azimuth ranks the university #61 for mobility. Graduates earn about $8,642 more than the model expects for similar students.

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

UH Downtown rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#73
Texas#11
South#24

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 96
Access & reach
National percentile: 94
Affordability
National percentile: 92
Return on investment
National percentile: 63

Top-ranked majors

  1. Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians#10
  2. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other#12
  3. Biological and Physical Sciences#13

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 / UH Downtown briefing

UH Downtown cost & financial aid[6][7]

The University of Houston-Downtown, a public university in Houston, Texas, serves 12,555 undergraduates. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported sticker charges for the 2025-26 academic year of $7,433 in-state tuition, $19,583 out-of-state tuition, and $1,456 in required fees.

Estimated books and supplies run $660, transportation $3,016, and other expenses $4,674. The federal published cost of attendance is $20,749.

For the average aid recipient, the net price falls to $10,542, a reduction of $10,207 from the sticker total. That is below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,092.

Azimuth ranks the university #110 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at University of Houston-Downtown is $20,749. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $9,439; for those in the $48,001–$75,000 band, it is $11,247; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $19,380.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,941. Azimuth ranks the university #110 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 49% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $10,207. The average net price across all aid recipients is $10,542, which is below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,092.

The median federal student loan debt at completion is $18,750, with about 62.8% of federal aid recipients borrowing. That median is below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions by $1,326.

The median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $10,000. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 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$11,247

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at UH Downtown

About 62.8% of federal aid recipients at University of Houston-Downtown take federal student loans, and among borrowers who complete a degree the median federal debt is $18,750. That median runs below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $1,326.

For parent borrowers, a separate population, the median Parent PLUS loan is $10,000. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 36% of the 506 bachelor's graduates in the cohort borrowed from any source.

The average cumulative principal per borrower was $18,808. Federal loans accounted for most of that borrowing: 35% of graduates held federal debt, averaging $18,184, including 2% who also held private loans, averaging $27,973.

Four years after completing a degree at University of Houston-Downtown, the median earnings among working graduates who are not enrolled are $60,550. That figure is at the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That median sits below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $8,642 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that places the university in the 80th percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the university's program mix range from $50,385 in a downside case to $70,901 in an upside case, with a typical scenario of $60,550. On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt at completion is $18,750, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $213.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $10,000. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $213.

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

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$18,750
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$10,000

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$213/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$127/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 / UH Downtown briefing

UH Downtown career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Azimuth places the return pillar for University of Houston-Downtown at the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,642 more than the model expects for similar students, a figure in the 80th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,607. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,035.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $291. Four years after completion, median earnings for the university's completers who are working and not enrolled are $60,550, in the 53rd percentile.

The four-year earnings cohort includes 3,559 completers. That median sits below the peer median of $65,610 by $5,060 among comparable institutions (same type and size).

Four years after completion, the 3,559 federally aided completers in the University of Houston-Downtown's earnings cohort reach a median of $60,550. That median is below the $65,610 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,060, and sits at the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $8,642 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 80th percentile nationally. The university's program mix yields a typical earnings scenario of $60,550, with a downside of $50,385 and an upside reaching $70,901.

An estimated 28.4% of programs' graduates continue to graduate study, a share derived from program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Four years after completion, the median earnings of University of Houston-Downtown graduates stand at $60,550. That is below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,060.

Graduates earn about $8,642 more than the model expects for similar students, placing the university in the 80th percentile for earnings beyond expectations. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,607.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,035. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $291.

Azimuth ranks University of Houston-Downtown #540 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $50,385 and an upside of $70,901.

The largest program, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, awarded 722 degrees and shows median earnings of $59,924 four years after completion. Business Administration and Management and Accounting each awarded 272 degrees, with medians of $69,712 and $67,499 respectively.

The highest-earning program is Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians, which awarded 16 degrees and shows a median of $112,244, 1.34x the national median for that field.

The earnings scenarios at University of Houston-Downtown range from a downside of $50,385 to an upside of $70,901, a spread that reflects the mix of programs available. The highest-earning fields pull the upside well above the institution's median of $60,550 four years after completion.

Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians completers reach a median of $112,244, and Insurance graduates earn $98,510. Computer and Information Sciences, a larger program with 118 degrees awarded, shows a median of $72,528.

Graduates earn about $8,642 more than the model expects for similar students. The published cost of attendance is $20,749, and the average net price for first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients is $10,542.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest income band pay an average net price of $9,439, while those in the highest band pay $19,380. The spread between those bands is $9,941.

Borrowers who complete a degree at University of Houston-Downtown leave with $18,750 in federal student loans, $1,326 below the peer median for comparable institutions. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $213. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $10,000.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$2,607
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$6,035
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$8,642

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 / UH Downtown briefing

UH Downtown acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

The University of Houston-Downtown admitted 90.0% of applicants, well above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 7,355 applicants, 6,465 admitted, and 1,185 enrolled.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
90.0%
25th percentile
880
Median
970
75th percentile
1050

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

Read the full admissions brief

04 / UH Downtown briefing

What are the largest majors at UH Downtown?[12]

The highest-earning programs at University of Houston-Downtown are small, technical fields that sit far above the university's overall median. Computer and Information Sciences awards 118 degrees a year and posts median earnings of $72,528 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #153 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. The largest programs tell a different story.

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies awards 722 degrees a year and posts median earnings of $59,924. Azimuth ranks it #12 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

At the more moderate end, Criminal Justice awards 255 degrees and earns $53,589, ranked #100 nationally. The earnings spread across the largest programs is wide, and the highest-earning fields are not the ones awarding the most degrees.

University of Houston-Downtown has 20 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, with Azimuth rankings that range from Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians at #10 to Psychology at #206. The largest single program is Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, with 722 degrees awarded and median earnings of $59,924 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #12 within its field. The highest-earning program is a much smaller one.

Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians graduates earn $112,244 four years out, from 16 degrees a year. Computer and Information Sciences is larger, at 118 degrees, and its completers earn $72,528.

University of Houston-Downtown awards the largest share of its bachelor's degrees in Business, at 34.5% of the total. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies is the second-largest family, accounting for 23.4% of degrees awarded, and Security & Protective Services follows at 7.8%.

The university has 20 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 26 with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, with 722 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks it #12 nationally within its field and #1 in Texas. Accounting and Business Administration and Management each award 272 degrees a year.

The highest-ranked program is Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians, with 22 degrees awarded and a state rank of #1 in Texas within its field. Biological and Physical Sciences is another small program with a strong national position, at #13 in its field and #1 in Texas.

The highest-earning program is Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians, where graduates earn $112,244 four years after completion, from 16 degrees awarded. Insurance follows at $98,510, with 20 degrees a year.

Computer and Information Sciences awards 118 degrees, and its graduates earn $72,528 four years after completion. The pattern is one of concentrated strength in a few small, highly-ranked programs alongside a large interdisciplinary major that also ranks well.

The largest programs by degrees awarded are Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies and Accounting, while the highest-earning programs include Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians and Insurance. Across all fields, 11.8% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 722 degrees awarded
$59,924
Business Administration, Management and Operations 272 degrees awarded
$69,712
Accounting and Related Services 272 degrees awarded
$67,499
Criminal Justice and Corrections 255 degrees awarded
$53,589
Psychology, General 253 degrees awarded
$48,234
Finance and Financial Management Services 171 degrees awarded
$66,591

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 / UH Downtown briefing

How does UH Downtown serve students from different backgrounds?

Azimuth places the University of Houston-Downtown in the 96th percentile for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients in the first-time full-time cohort complete at 48.4%, above the overall six-year graduation rate of 33.2% by 15.2 percentage points.

Four years after completion, graduates earn about $8,642 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 80th percentile nationally.

Azimuth places the access pillar of University of Houston-Downtown in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university admits 90.0% of applicants and enrolls 12,555 undergraduates.

Pell Grant recipients make up 55.2% of the undergraduate body, and an estimated 74.3% of students arrive as transfers or part-time students.

06 / UH Downtown briefing

What colleges are similar to UH Downtown?[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 UH Downtown.

Admissions peerUniversity of Houston-Clear Lake90.5% admitted
Comparison with UH Downtown
MeasureUH DowntownUniversity of Houston-Clear Lake
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,550$59,865-$685 vs UH Downtown
Average annual net price$10,542$15,563+$5,021 vs UH Downtown · higher cost
Admission rate90.0%90.5%
Explore University of Houston-Clear Lake →
Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee100.0% admitted
Comparison with UH Downtown
MeasureUH DowntownUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,550$62,480+$1,930 vs UH Downtown
Average annual net price$10,542$15,014+$4,472 vs UH Downtown · higher cost
Admission rate90.0%100.0%
Explore University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of Houston-Clear LakeNearby option · TX
Comparison with UH Downtown
MeasureUH DowntownUniversity of Houston-Clear Lake
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,550$59,865-$685 vs UH Downtown
Average annual net price$10,542$15,563+$5,021 vs UH Downtown · higher cost
Admission rate90.0%90.5%
Explore University of Houston-Clear Lake →
Higher-earnings alternativeLamar University$66,816 earnings
Comparison with UH Downtown
MeasureUH DowntownLamar University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,550$66,816+$6,266 vs UH Downtown
Average annual net price$10,542$9,366-$1,176 vs UH Downtown · lower cost
Admission rate90.0%86.4%
Explore Lamar University →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Brooklyn College$3,103 average net price
Comparison with UH Downtown
MeasureUH DowntownCUNY Brooklyn College
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,550$62,833+$2,283 vs UH Downtown
Average annual net price$10,542$3,103-$7,439 vs UH Downtown · lower cost
Admission rate90.0%58.4%
Explore CUNY Brooklyn College →
Similar profileUniversity of Louisiana at LafayetteMatched across several measures
Comparison with UH Downtown
MeasureUH DowntownUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,550$58,638-$1,912 vs UH Downtown
Average annual net price$10,542$13,530+$2,988 vs UH Downtown · higher cost
Admission rate90.0%87.0%
Explore University of Louisiana at Lafayette →

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