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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Houston Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does UH cost after financial aid?

The University of Houston lists a published cost of attendance of $26,185. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $10,856 and required fees of $1,032 for the the 2026-27 academic year.

On-campus food and housing ran $11,286. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $14,276, which is $1,358 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Azimuth ranks the university #224 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s at University of Houston range from $10,929 for families earning under $30,000 to $23,811 for families earning over $110,000, a spread of $12,882. The overall average net price for aid recipients is $14,276, which lands below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,358.

Among completers who borrowed, median federal student debt is $18,194, also below the peer median of $20,076 by $1,882. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a steeply progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $10,929; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $10,220; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $12,528; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $19,197; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $23,811.

Pell Grant recipients make up 41.6% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,882.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,929

**$30–48K**
$10,220

**$48–75K**
$12,528

**$75–110K**
$19,197

**$110K+**
$23,811

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$14,276**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

At University of Houston, aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average recipient, a reduction of $11,909 that leaves an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $14,276. The average net price is $10,929 for families earning under $30,000 and reaches $23,811 for those over $110,000, a spread of $12,882 alongside larger aid for lower-income families.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 4,237 first-year students determined to have need in the 2025-26 academic year, with need fully met for 418. Those aided saw an average share of need met of 57%, an average need-based grant of $12,066, and an average package of $16,161. In the same year, merit aid went to 494, averaging $3,779.

The University of Houston publishes a cost of attendance of $26,185. For families earning under $30,000, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $10,929; for those in the $48,001–$75,000 band, it is $12,528; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $23,811.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,882. Azimuth ranks the university #224 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $11,909. The average net price for first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients is $14,276, which is below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,358.

The median federal student debt at completion is $18,194, with about 73.0% of federal aid recipients borrowing. That median is below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions by $1,882.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing stands at $18,072. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment for a graduate with the median federal debt is $207.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Roughly 73.0% of federal aid recipients at University of Houston take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete a degree, the median federal debt is $18,194.

Against the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's figure stands below by $1,882. Parents who take out [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans hold a median debt of $18,072.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 42% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $22,495 per borrower. Federal loans covered 41% of graduates, with an average of $17,467. Private loans covered 7% of graduates, with an average of $30,980.

Median earnings four years after completion are $68,091 for University of Houston graduates who are working and not enrolled, a level in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Relative to modeled expectations, graduates earn about $11,050 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Anchored on the university's program mix, earnings scenarios run from a downside of $51,151 through a typical level of $68,091 to an upside of $93,251. For borrowers who complete a degree, the median federal debt is $18,194, which stands below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,882. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $207.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $18,072. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $207.

[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**
$18,072

**Estimated parent payment**
$230/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [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**
$18,194

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$18,072

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$207/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$230/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$437/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 $68,091, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**5.5%** 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

The income spectrum compares the estimated student payment with the income left after the selected annual expense allowance. Changing the earnings scenario or allowance changes that comparison; parent payments are not included in this calculation.

The earnings choices are planning scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles or predictions of an individual graduate’s pay. The allowance is an adjustable model input, not a verified budget for your household.

Read the result as a comparison under those assumptions, not a guarantee that a payment is affordable.

[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#student-tool)

Federal student and Parent PLUS borrowing figures do not capture all private education loans. A federal balance therefore should not be described as a family’s complete borrowing total.

Annual loan awards in a Common Data Set, when available, answer a different question from accumulated borrower debt. Compare amounts only after identifying the loan type, reporting period and population; annual school-wide awards cannot be added to a median borrower balance.

## 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.