Private nonprofit

South Texas College of Law Houston

Houston, Texas·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southwest·stcl.edu
Total enrollment
1,089
peer median 720
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About

South Texas College of Law Houston is a private law school in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 1923 when the YMCA made the decision to establish a law school with a focus on offering night classes for working professionals. It is accredited by the American Bar Association. South Texas College of Law Houston is the oldest law school in the city of Houston.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 1 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail.

Total programs
1
Passing
1
100.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

1programs
  • Passing1 · 100.0%
  • No Data0 · 0.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
1
No data
0

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.

1
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
+98.6%
$108,296 vs $54,534

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

1
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
126%
$136,581 debt · $108,296 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Accredited since 2025Next review Jan 2029
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar

Accredited since 1959Next review Aug 2026

Action history · 1

  1. Oct 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, students received in Pell grants, alongside $42.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
null total
Direct Loans
$42.2M
1,457 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Unsubsidized · Grad$16.8M
770 loan awards
Grad PLUS$25.5M
687 loan awards

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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 285 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (0.3%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.3%
-2.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
285
Defaulted
1
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
1.0%
2017
0.9%
2018
0.3%
2019
0.3%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* 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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at STCL

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs1
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

325 total completions
01Legal Professions
325100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
1,089
12-mo unduplicated
1,158

Gender split

Men
43%498
Women
57%660

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 1,036 students

3-year trend

2.032 yrs ago2.991 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
5
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    STCL vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions STCL selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    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
    SubjectSouth Texas College of Law Houston
    1,089
    154
    379
    299
    1,125
    650
    1,163
    1,131
    1,062
    1,006
    262
    420
    718
    722
    Peer group median720

    Institutions like STCL

    Explore the federal data for institutions in STCL's comparison group.

    STCL Institutional Research office

    The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

    Office
    Office of Assessment and Research (OAR)
    Reports to Office of Institutional Assessment
    Phone
    (713) 659-8040
    Address
    1303 San Jacinto Street, Houston, Texas 77002-7006

    The OAR at STCL Houston collects data, analyzes information and conducts research to support strategic planning and institutional research and planning. STCL Houston uses its assessment program to evaluate all aspects of institutional effectiveness.

    Visit IR office page

    Research funding

    External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.

    USA Spending
    $1,248,713
    All sources
    $1,248,713

    Reports & documents (1)

    Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

    Frequently asked questions about South Texas College of Law Houston

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about STCL.

    How many students attend South Texas College of Law Houston?

    South Texas College of Law Houston reports a total enrollment of 1,089 students per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is South Texas College of Law Houston located?

    South Texas College of Law Houston is located in Houston, Texas 77002-7006.

    Who runs Institutional Research at South Texas College of Law Houston?

    South Texas College of Law Houston's IR work is done by the Office of Assessment and Research (OAR), which reports to Office of Institutional Assessment.

    About the data on this page

    Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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