About
Sam Houston State University is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and the first in Texas. The school is named for statesman Sam Houston, who made his home in the city and is buried there.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 7.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 165 Title IV programs, 64 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 100 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing64 · 38.8%
- No Data100 · 60.6%
- Failing1 · 0.6%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 11
Action history · 19
- Dec 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused ReviewSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Apr 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused ReviewSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Mar 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jan 2025Voluntary Withdrawal ReceivedAmerican Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs
- Jul 2024Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 8,856 students received $53.5M in Pell grants, alongside $109.4M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 4,787 borrowers who entered repayment, 62 (1.2%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Sam Houston State
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 10
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus31
- Non-campus2
- Public property1
Includes 21 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Belvin-Buchanan Hall1 fireMachinery/IndustrialDamage $0-$99
- White Hall1 fireElectricalDamage $0-$99
- Piney Woods Hall1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
- Copper Village Building D1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Sam Houston State vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Sam Houston State selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectSam Houston State University | 55% | — | 21,039 | $16,025 | R2 Research |
Ball State University | 62% | 85.5% | 21,089 | $15,898 | R2 Research |
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 61% | 81.0% | 17,594 | $20,918 | R2 Research |
Georgia Southern University | 55% | 87.9% | 27,423 | $16,531 | R2 Research |
Illinois State University | 65% | 88.2% | 21,546 | $18,996 | R2 Research |
Kennesaw State University | 52% | 69.2% | 47,764 | $16,972 | R2 Research |
Miami University-Oxford | 80% | 75.4% | 18,838 | $27,662 | R2 Research |
Middle Tennessee State University | 54% | 69.1% | 20,488 | $12,599 | R2 Research |
Northern Arizona University | 61% | 89.6% | 28,467 | $14,922 | R2 Research |
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 51% | 94.2% | 33,881 | $6,500 | R2 Research |
University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 56% | 88.5% | 18,012 | $10,170 | R2 Research |
Western Michigan University | 58% | 84.6% | 16,744 | $18,701 | R2 Research |
| Peer group median | 57% | 85.5% | 21,064 | $16,278 |
Sam Houston State Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Fact Book provides information to the public concerning SHSU student enrollment and degrees awarded, using certified Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board reports and internal institutional data.
Visit IR office page- Shelby PodrazaAssistant to SEI, Institutional Research
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planStrategic PlanThe strategic plan for Sam Houston State University focuses on sharpening the institution's strengths and prioritizing its goals to realize a vision for the future. It emphasizes a commitment to student success through advancements in academics and the enhancement of learning environments. Infrastructure developments like modern classrooms and sustainable campus initiatives are highlighted to support the evolving needs of students and faculty.shsu.edu
Notable alumni of Sam Houston State (10)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Hiram Abiff BoazScience and academics
- Dan RatherArts and media
- Richard LinklaterArts and media
- Thaksin ShinawatraPolitics
- Marcus LuttrellArmed services
- Charlie WilsonPolitics
- Roy HazelwoodArts and media
- Dana AndrewsArts and media
- Robert GammagePolitics
- Debra MaffettArts and media
Frequently asked questions about Sam Houston State University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Sam Houston State.
What is the graduation rate at Sam Houston State University?
How many students attend Sam Houston State University?
What is the average net price at Sam Houston State University?
What is the yield rate at Sam Houston State University?
Where is Sam Houston State University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Sam Houston State University?
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