Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, Texas · Also known as SHSU · Website
$54,211
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$54,211
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Sam Houston State University is a public 4-year college in Huntsville, Texas with 17,743 undergraduates and 3,252 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $16,404 a year (tuition and fees $9,228 in-state, $19,068 out-of-state). It admits 90% of applicants and 55% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $54,211 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,983 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$16,404
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$9,228
Out-of-state $19,068
Admission rate
90%
US median 78%
Completion rate
55%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,983
About $233 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$54,211
Rank 1,162 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $16,404
- Tuition in-state
- $9,228
- Tuition out-of-state
- $19,068
- Cost of attendance
- $25,505
- Students with a need-based grant
- 41%
- Students with federal loans
- 46%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $12,474
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $13,389
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $15,540
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $21,366
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $24,101
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $7,618 in 2015-16 to $9,228 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 90%
- Average SAT
- 1,041
- SAT reading, middle
- 525
- SAT math, middle
- 510
- ACT, middle
- 21
- Undergraduates
- 17,743
- Graduate students
- 3,252
- Part-time students
- 16%
- Women
- 63%
- Students per teacher
- 19
- Completion rate
- 55%
- Retention rate
- 73%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 156
- Endowment
- $190.8M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,162 of 5,094 US colleges and 60 of 324 in Texas (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | TX median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $16,404 | $18,447 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $9,228 | $9,940 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 90% | 84% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 55% | 59% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 73% | 74% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,983 | $10,667 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $45,337 | $32,765 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $54,211 | $38,474 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 58% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 74% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
156 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 888 | $20,708 | $37,792 | $51,748 | $55,378 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 303 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 263 | $21,500 | $31,353 | $47,659 | $50,706 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 240 | $22,452 | $44,700 | $63,837 | $68,407 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 198 | $23,287 | $28,247 | $50,125 | $56,359 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 195 | $24,316 | $82,463 | $91,697 | $88,910 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 158 | $38,487 | $88,636 | $99,143 | $103,485 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 141 | $22,651 | $37,005 | $57,341 | $54,562 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 123 | $21,250 | $27,611 | $49,134 | $61,296 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 122 | $21,758 | $32,915 | $53,165 | $57,214 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 119 | $23,750 | $53,281 | $72,388 | $83,343 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsMaster's | Master's | 117 | $38,362 | $51,544 | $62,489 | $66,714 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 110 | $25,000 | $40,077 | $55,155 | $58,716 |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 103 | $19,750 | $34,051 | $49,636 | $49,634 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 93 | $36,942 | $59,787 | $65,804 | $71,685 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 91 | $41,000 | $44,512 | $57,746 | $65,184 |
| HistoryOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 84 | $24,250 | $34,016 | $50,084 | $50,680 |
| Curriculum and InstructionMaster's | Master's | 82 | $28,601 | $57,928 | $62,520 | $63,399 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 78 | $18,625 | $39,218 | $55,522 | $69,303 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 77 | $16,278 | $45,602 | $61,464 | $68,257 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 75 | $23,880 | $34,019 | $50,970 | $58,808 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 74 | $19,882 | $52,772 | $72,059 | $76,194 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/TechnicianBachelor's | Bachelor's | 70 | $19,855 | $72,116 | $93,904 | $93,843 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 58 | $25,630 | $59,926 | $58,743 | $42,892 |
| Graphic CommunicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 53 | $24,500 | Withheld | $42,579 | $43,283 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Huntsville and Texas on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Texas
- Homes: Homes for sale in Texas
Questions and answers
How much does Sam Houston State University cost?
$16,404 a year is the average net price at Sam Houston State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $9,228 for in-state students and $19,068 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $25,505. Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,474 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Sam Houston State University?
90% of applicants are admitted to Sam Houston State University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,041 and the middle ACT score is 21. The median admission rate of colleges in Texas is 84%.
How much do Sam Houston State University graduates earn?
$54,211 a year is the median pay of former Sam Houston State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($45,337 after 6 years). That ranks 1,162 of 5,094 US colleges and 60 of 324 in Texas. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's) at $97,900.
How much student debt do Sam Houston State University graduates have?
$21,983 is the median federal student loan debt of Sam Houston State University graduates, about $233 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 46% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Sam Houston State University?
55% of first-time, full-time students at Sam Houston State University finish within 6 years. 73% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Sam Houston State University?
Criminal Justice and Corrections (888 bachelor's graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (303 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (263 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 156 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.