Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublicHSI

University of Houston-Downtown

Houston, Texas·Public, 4-year or above·Southwest·uhd.edu
6-yr Graduation
33%
-10.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
13,730
peer median 9,745
Avg net price
$14,623
+$2.8k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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About

The University of Houston–Downtown (UHD) is a public university in Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1974 as University of Houston–Downtown College (UH–DC), it has a campus that spans 40 acres (0.16 km2) in Downtown Houston with a satellite location, UHD–Northwest, inside Lone Star College–University Park. The university is one of three institutions in the University of Houston System.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
6,551
6,551 candidates competed
Admitted
5,893
90.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,181
20.0% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
33%-10.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
14%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
33%
Full-time retention
67%

Pell equity

5.0pp gap
Pell recipients
35%
Non-Pell
40%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.0-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 68 Title IV programs, 31 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 37 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
68
Passing
31
45.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

68programs
  • Passing31 · 45.6%
  • No Data37 · 54.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
30
No data
37

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.

31
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+13.1%
$37,668 vs $33,298
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Master's Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+33.6%
$66,115 vs $49,483
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Master's Degree · Security And Protective Services
+35.3%
$72,529 vs $53,607
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+35.8%
$45,223 vs $33,298
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
+35.9%
$63,052 vs $46,391
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+38.5%
$46,106 vs $33,298
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+44.9%
$48,234 vs $33,298
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+56.3%
$95,084 vs $60,823

Debt vs earnings

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

28
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Master's Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
56%
$37,201 debt · $66,115 earn
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
53%
$19,875 debt · $37,668 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Master's Degree · Security And Protective Services
51%
$37,172 debt · $72,529 earn
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
49%
$22,500 debt · $46,106 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
44%
$24,997 debt · $56,903 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
43%
$41,000 debt · $95,084 earn
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians
Bachelor Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
43%
$25,125 debt · $58,535 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
43%
$20,629 debt · $48,234 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1976Next review Dec 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 9

  1. May 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  2. Nov 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Oct 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Mar 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Jul 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$13,486
$30–48k$13,911
$48–75k$16,332
$75–110k$19,673
$110k+$22,498

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$14,623
+$2,813vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $11,811
Federal loans
30.5%
In-state tuition
$7,708
Out-of-state
$17,788

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 8,593 students received $48.0M in Pell grants, alongside $42.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
8,593
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$48.0M
$48,046,405 total
Direct Loans
$42.6M
7,098 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

7k
20
8k
21
8k
22
8k
23
9k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$14.3M
3,465 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$16.0M
2,857 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$11.6M
710 loan awards
Parent PLUS$416K
34 loan awards
Grad PLUS$314K
32 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 3,190 borrowers who entered repayment, 10 (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
3,190
Defaulted
10
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
5.0%
2017
7.5%
2018
4.3%
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 UHD

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs49
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

3,058 total completions
01Business
1,39245.5%
02Multi/Interdisciplinary
37412.2%
03Security/Protective
2869.4%
04Psychology
2839.3%
05Education
2147.0%
06Computer Sciences
1183.9%
07Biological Sciences
1053.4%
08Health Professions
1013.3%
09Public Admin
953.1%
10Communication
902.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
13,730
12-mo unduplicated
17,196
Undergraduate
15,587
Graduate
1,609

Gender split

Men
38%6,539
Women
62%10,657

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
58.6%
Black
16.9%
White
10.9%
Asian
8.2%
Two or more
2.4%
Non-resident
1.9%
Unknown
0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.49
7 offenses · 14,208 students

3-year trend

0.522 yrs ago0.401 yr ago0.49Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
21
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
20
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
4
Rape
1
Burglary
1
Fondling
1

By location

7total
  • On campus7

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs14
Liquor02

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 3 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
18.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
366

UHD vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions UHD 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
SubjectUniversity of Houston-Downtown
33%13,730$14,623Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Angelo State University
44%83.0%11,542$12,915Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Austin Peay State University
39%96.4%10,439$14,846Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Dominguez Hills
43%93.3%15,182$3,659Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-East Bay
48%97.4%12,326$11,276R2 Research
Clayton State University
41%68.4%6,163$10,145Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Coastal Carolina University
48%75.3%11,348$13,742Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Columbus State University
43%99.1%7,913$11,889Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY York College
32%64.1%6,174$4,734Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Metropolitan State University
44%98.7%6,660$19,181Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
New Jersey City University
34%98.4%5,429$11,732Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Purdue University Northwest
43%72.4%9,051$8,463Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median43%93.3%9,745$11,811

UHD Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Data Analytics & Institutional Research
Reports to Office of the Provost
Phone
713-221-8000
Address
One Main Street, Houston, TX 77002

The Office of Data Analytics and Institutional Research (DAIR) strives to equip decision makers with access to information, analysis, and data. Serve as the official source of institutional data for internal and external constituents to use for planning, policy forming, and strategic decision-making.

Visit IR office page

Reports & documents (2)

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

Grants & funding (5)

Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

Frequently asked questions about University of Houston-Downtown

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about UHD.

What is the graduation rate at University of Houston-Downtown?

University of Houston-Downtown reports a 6-year graduation rate of 33% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend University of Houston-Downtown?

University of Houston-Downtown reports a total enrollment of 13,730 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at University of Houston-Downtown?

The average net price at University of Houston-Downtown is $14,623 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at University of Houston-Downtown?

University of Houston-Downtown's yield rate is 20.0%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is University of Houston-Downtown located?

University of Houston-Downtown is located in Houston, Texas 77002-1014.

Who runs Institutional Research at University of Houston-Downtown?

University of Houston-Downtown's IR work is done by the Office of Data Analytics & Institutional Research, which reports to Office of the Provost.

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