# Sam Houston State University (SHSU)

Public college in Huntsville, TX. IPEDS ID 227881.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/sam-houston-state-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/sam-houston-state-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 90% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $16,404 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 55%; beats 73% of TX colleges and 52% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $54,211; beats 59% of TX colleges and 53% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $16,500

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $12,474 |
| 30-48k | $13,389 |
| 48-75k | $15,540 |
| 75-110k | $21,366 |
| 110k+ | $24,101 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.44 years on average (35% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $54,211 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in TX (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $12,474 | $55,385 | 2.7 years |
| 30-48k | $13,389 | $59,447 | 2.9 years |
| 48-75k | $15,540 | $68,998 | 3.3 years |
| 75-110k | $21,366 | $94,865 | 4.6 years |
| 110k+ | $24,101 | $107,008 | 5.2 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $25,505 in-state; about $35,345 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $9,228 in-state, $19,068 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $11,720; books: $1,380

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 480–570; SAT math: 450–550; ACT: 17–24 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 17,582 applicants, 15,014 admitted, 3,601 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 90%, ACT 17–24 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 85%, ACT 19–25 (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2025-26 (Fall 2025)
- Very important: gpa; important: test scores; considered: rigor, class rank, essay
- Early decision: no; early action: no; waitlist: no
- Aid (full-time first-years): average 62.3% of need met; 182 of 1929 with need fully met; merit aid to students without need: 316 students, average $2,411
- Source: https://www.shsu.edu/offices-departments/data-analytics-decision-support/documents/fall-2025-cds-final_v2.pdf

## Majors (66 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $45,401 | $96,727 | $23,473 |
| Construction Engineering Technology / Technician | $72,116 | $93,904 | $25,000 |
| Nursing | $82,463 | $91,697 | $26,504 |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | $49,623 | $79,544 | $21,500 |
| Management Information Systems | $47,676 | $73,734 | $20,699 |
| Finance | $53,281 | $72,388 | $27,253 |
| Accounting | $52,772 | $72,059 | $22,291 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | $63,369 | $67,729 | not reported |
| Business Economics | not reported | $67,464 | $19,841 |
| Business | $44,700 | $63,837 | $26,641 |
| Agricultural Business | $47,907 | $62,302 | $20,643 |
| Mathematics | $48,114 | $61,617 | $28,000 |
| Business Administration | $45,602 | $61,464 | $18,350 |
| International Business | $35,116 | $61,186 | $20,988 |
| Agriculture | not reported | $60,598 | $19,125 |
| Music | $59,926 | $58,743 | $28,000 |
| Human Resources | $43,750 | $57,689 | $22,500 |
| Chemistry | $43,940 | $57,410 | $28,775 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $37,005 | $57,341 | $26,500 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $39,959 | $57,019 | $29,000 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $52,792 | $56,225 | $27,000 |
| Geography | $35,936 | $56,151 | $25,156 |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | $55,954 | not reported |
| Political Science | not reported | $55,894 | $25,125 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $40,562 | $55,647 | not reported |
| Marketing | $39,218 | $55,522 | $21,957 |
| Health Administration | $40,077 | $55,155 | $26,975 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | $43,509 | $54,816 | $26,500 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $41,112 | $54,082 | $25,750 |
| Biology | $32,915 | $53,165 | $23,853 |
| Entrepreneurship | $23,682 | $52,901 | $26,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $37,792 | $51,748 | $23,218 |
| Public Health | $34,019 | $50,970 | $26,818 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | not reported | $50,512 | not reported |
| Communications | $28,247 | $50,125 | $26,000 |
| History | $34,016 | $50,084 | $28,000 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences | $37,540 | $49,840 | $26,000 |
| Animal Sciences | $34,051 | $49,636 | $21,745 |
| Health Sciences | $27,611 | $49,134 | $25,000 |
| English | $36,749 | $48,761 | $25,250 |
| Dance | $19,202 | $48,568 | $26,000 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | $32,444 | $47,823 | $27,000 |
| Psychology | $31,353 | $47,659 | $24,000 |
| Graphic Communications | not reported | $42,579 | $28,342 |
| Sociology | $24,612 | $42,152 | $29,000 |
| Studio Art | $30,999 | $39,565 | $31,000 |
| Theatre | $21,858 | $36,389 | $22,250 |
| Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences | not reported | $31,854 | not reported |
| Agricultural Public Services | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Plant Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Interior Architecture | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Information Technology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Engineering Technologies / Technicians | $38,957 | not reported | $20,375 |
| Drafting / Design Engineering Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Data Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Homeland Security | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Film and Photography | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Criminal Justice → Police officer: median wage not reported (metro), $75,900 (TX), $76,210 (U.S.)
- Business → Management analyst: median wage not reported (metro), $101,400 (TX), $101,860 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).