About
The University of Houston–Clear Lake (UHCL) is a public university in Pasadena and Houston in Texas, with branch campuses in Pearland and Texas Medical Center. It is part of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1971, UHCL had an enrollment of more than 9,000 students for fall 2019.
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 2.4-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 86 Title IV programs, 39 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 46 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing39 · 45.3%
- No Data46 · 53.5%
- Failing1 · 1.2%
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.
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 · 7
Action history · 11
- Oct 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Nov 2023Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jun 2023Grant Substantive Change: OtherSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Feb 2023Initial AccreditationAmerican Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional/Scientific Psychology (PSPSYD) - PsyD Doctoral programs
- Dec 2022Renewal of AccreditationSouthern 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, 3,412 students received $18.4M in Pell grants, alongside $22.5M 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 1,594 borrowers who entered repayment, 7 (0.4%) 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 UHCL
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
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 campus6
Includes 4 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
Data quality: 3 reports were 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.
UHCL vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions UHCL 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectUniversity of Houston-Clear Lake | 52% | — | 8,137 | $15,563 | Doctoral/Professional |
| 55% | 86.9% | 5,892 | $14,262 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 21% | 48.3% | 4,397 | $12,329 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 40% | 83.8% | 4,631 | $8,653 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs | |
| 40% | 88.6% | 11,266 | $15,225 | R2 Research | |
| 38% | 78.7% | 3,187 | $13,868 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 47% | 97.4% | 11,354 | $15,788 | R2 Research | |
| 52% | 85.9% | 4,628 | $9,833 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 58% | 55.6% | 8,104 | $9,492 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| Peer group median | 47% | 84.9% | 5,892 | $13,868 |
Institutions like UHCL
Explore the federal data for institutions in UHCL's comparison group.
- Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsMassachusetts
Fitchburg State University
Grad rate55%Admit rate86.9%Enrollment5,892Net price$14,262View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsIllinois
Governors State University
Grad rate21%Admit rate48.3%Enrollment4,397Net price$12,329View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsIndiana
Indiana University-South Bend
Grad rate40%Admit rate83.8%Enrollment4,631Net price$8,653View data - R2 ResearchTexas
Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi
Grad rate40%Admit rate88.6%Enrollment11,266Net price$15,225View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsMaryland
University of Baltimore
Grad rate38%Admit rate78.7%Enrollment3,187Net price$13,868View data - R2 ResearchColorado
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Grad rate47%Admit rate97.4%Enrollment11,354Net price$15,788View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsIllinois
University of Illinois Springfield
Grad rate52%Admit rate85.9%Enrollment4,628Net price$9,833View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsMichigan
University of Michigan-Dearborn
Grad rate58%Admit rate55.6%Enrollment8,104Net price$9,492View data
UHCL Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
Institutional Research reports clear, accurate and relevant institutional data and analysis to our customers in a timely fashion.
Visit IR office pageResearch funding
External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.
Common Data Set
UHCL's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Source publications
Reports & documents (4)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- Data definitionInstitutional ResearchThe University of Houston-Clear Lake's Institutional Research page provides information about accessing institutional data and analysis, as well as related resources. It details contact information for the Institutional Research office, along with links to data portals and forms for data requests. The page emphasizes timely and accurate data reporting to support institutional needs.uhcl.edu
- Data dictionaryInstitutional ResearchThe University of Houston-Clear Lake Institutional Research page provides clear, accurate, and relevant institutional data and analysis. It offers access to data reports and a secure data portal for institutional research. The page includes links to various institutional data categories such as campus facts, student data, course data, and faculty data, alongside state and federal data and resources for institutional research.uhcl.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planStrategic Plan: Impact 2025 and Beyond2019The University of Houston-Clear Lake's 'Impact 2025 and Beyond Strategic Plan' is a comprehensive framework aiming to elevate the university's profile and impact over the next five years. The plan, initiated in 2019, emphasizes transforming student lives through experiential learning, translating research into actionable solutions, and transcending boundaries through community collaboration. By implementing these strategies, UHCL aims to rank among the top 25 public regional comprehensive universities in the western United States.uhcl.edu
Frequently asked questions about University of Houston-Clear Lake
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about UHCL.
What is the graduation rate at University of Houston-Clear Lake?
How many students attend University of Houston-Clear Lake?
What is the average net price at University of Houston-Clear Lake?
What is the yield rate at University of Houston-Clear Lake?
Where is University of Houston-Clear Lake located?
Who runs Institutional Research at University of Houston-Clear Lake?
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.
Have a question this page can’t answer?
Ask Clema anything about University of Houston-Clear Lake and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card