More selective than 48% of Texas colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $22,254. College Scorecard.
Higher than 34% of Texas colleges we cover and 21% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 43% of Texas colleges we cover and 40% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Lamar University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 7,246 applicants, Lamar University admitted 6,212 and 1,555 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 930–1140 on the SAT or 18–25 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Lamar University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Texas residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Texas residents with financial need may receive a TEXAS Grant at Texas public universities; amounts are set each year and vary by college. Not included in the prices above. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (College for All Texans)
What Lamar University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Lamar University took 4.7 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Texas. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,568 | $35,191 | 2.2 years |
| $30–48k | $8,261 | $38,414 | 2.4 years |
| $48–75k | $8,545 | $39,734 | 2.5 years |
| $75–110k | $13,689 | $63,654 | 3.9 years |
| $110k+ | $16,292 | $75,758 | 4.7 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.7 years, the average time graduates took (18% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($49,652) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in TX (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $16,136 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Lamar University majors, earnings & careers
Lamar University offers 51 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 10
- Engineering · 7
- Science & Math · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Humanities & Languages · 6
- Arts & Design · 5
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Communications & Media · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
Highest-earning majors at Lamar University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineering | $103,037 | $18,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | $101,018 | $20,019 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $97,159 | $29,000 |
| Nursing | $93,709 | $25,196 |
| Industrial Engineering | $91,806 | $28,351 |
| Civil Engineering | $89,250 | — |
| Accounting | $87,924 | — |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | $87,113 | $37,672 |
Quick list of all 51 majors
- Accounting$87,924
- American Sign Language$54,319
- Apparel and Textiles—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$50,674
- Business$56,206
- Business Administration$66,279
- Business Economics—
- Chemical Engineering$101,018
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering$89,250
- Communications$49,746
- Computer and Information Sciences$85,680
- Computer Programming—
- Construction Engineering—
- Criminal Justice$54,509
- Electrical Engineering$103,037
- English$52,897
- Entrepreneurship$70,799
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Finance$63,429
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$58,631
- General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$46,341
- Health Sciences$57,524
- History—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Human Resources—
- Industrial Engineering$91,806
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians$87,113
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$48,609
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$50,753
- Linguistics—
- Management Information Systems$74,165
- Marketing$57,355
- Mathematics$43,598
- Mechanical Engineering$97,159
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$54,116
- Music$53,904
- Nursing$93,709
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$53,038
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Social Work$50,453
- Sociology$44,286
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$54,087
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Beaumont
Overall prices in the Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,218. Housing costs 29% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 65 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (very high); tornado (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Jefferson County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Jefferson County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Lamar University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Texas by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar University | 86% | $9,366 | 37% | $49,652 | This school |
| Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi | 89% | $15,225 | 40% | $51,865 | |
| Prairie View A & M University | 79% | $13,570 | 43% | $45,411 | |
| Texas A&M University-San Antonio | 93% | $11,196 | 40% | $54,338 | |
| East Texas A&M University | 92% | $11,841 | 43% | $50,296 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Lamar University would cost you $5,859 less per year than Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Lamar University, mostly from lower housing & meal costs (−$2,597).
- Lamar University gives aided families $2,903 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Texas resident | Lamar University | Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $8,905 | $9,748 | −$843 |
| Books & supplies | $1,250 | $1,248 | +$2 |
| Housing & meals | $10,272 | $12,869 | −$2,597 |
| Personal & travel | $5,090 | $3,410 | +$1,680 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,263 | −$2,065 | −$1,198 |
| Sticker price | $22,254 | $25,210 | −$2,956 |
| Average grants | −$12,888 | −$9,985 | −$2,903 |
| You pay | $9,366 | $15,225 | −$5,859 |
“+” means Lamar University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Lamar University
What is the Lamar University acceptance rate?
Lamar University accepts 86% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 6,212 of 7,246 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 930–1140 on the SAT or 18–25 on the ACT.
How much does Lamar University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $22,254 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $9,366 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $7,568 and families earning $110k+ pay $16,292.
How much do Lamar University graduates earn?
Former Lamar University students earn a median $49,652 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Lamar University graduation rate?
37% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 62% return for their second year.
How long does a Lamar University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Lamar University costs about $39,734 after grants ($8,545 a year for 4.7 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $49,652 ten years after starting, $16,136 more than high school graduates in Texas ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 2.5 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Lamar University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/lamar-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).