Public Bachelor's Good 56/100

Lone Star College System

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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The Woodlands, Texas

About Lone Star College System

Thinking about Lone Star College System, a college in Texas where more students graduate in Liberal Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Lone Star College System is a public institution offering bachelor's degrees based in The Woodlands, Texas. It enrolls 45,188 students (a very large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
—
Graduation
13.3%
Net Price
$11,252
Median Earnings (10yr)
$42,466
Enrollment
45,188
Student : Faculty
22:1

Accreditor Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Open / Online), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
56/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Open / Online
Outcomes 19
Value 60
Affordability 40
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Lone Star College System does not report an acceptance rate. Schools that do not publish one are usually open-admission, but confirm with the admissions office before you assume it.

Acceptance Rate
—
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $11,252 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$11,252
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
23%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
7%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$3,330
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$9,390
Room & Board (off-campus)
$10,756
Books & Supplies
$2,550
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,084
Total Cost of Attendance
$15,521

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $10,657
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $11,515
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $11,128
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $13,120
  • Over $110,000
    $14,572

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$1,750
10% percentile
$3,152
25% percentile
$8,600
Median percentile
$9,500
75% percentile
$18,500
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $6,000 ↓ $2,600
No Pell $5,250 ↓ $3,350
Dependent students $4,749 ↓ $3,851
Independent students $7,654 ↓ $946
Female students $5,500 ↓ $3,100
Male students $5,250 ↓ $3,350
Pell recipients: 17.4% (1,500 students)No Pell: 15.3% (1,312 students)Dependent students: 13.8% (1,187 students)Independent students: 22.2% (1,913 students)Female students: 16.0% (1,375 students)Male students: 15.3% (1,312 students)Overall Median$8,600
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,250, less than completers ($8,600), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

13% of students who start here finish within six years. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
13%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
—
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $42,466 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$42,466
Earning > $25K
66%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$31,000$35,000$38,000$41,000$44,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$36,500

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$50,300

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$38,000

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$44,100

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$51,700

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $13,800, about 27% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 16.0 pts across 6 years
50.5%1yr55.6%3yr66.5%5yr
What this signals: Moderate. Only 66% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 45,188 students, a sprawling student community. Worth knowing: 51% are the first in their family to go to college, and 64% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.

Total Enrolled
45,188
Part-Time
64%
First-Generation
51%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 46.2% 20,886
White 21.4% 9,670
Black 14.9% 6,751
Asian 6.4% 2,883
International 4.5% 2,042
Other 3.7% 1,681
Hispanic: 46.2% (20,886 students)White: 21.4% (9,670 students)Black: 14.9% (6,751 students)Asian: 6.4% (2,883 students)International: 4.5% (2,042 students)Other: 3.7% (1,681 students)Total45,188

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Lone Star College System. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Midsize City The Woodlands, Texas
Housing
Commuter campus No on-campus housing
Adult Learners
19% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Lone Star College System offers an extensive catalog of programs: 80 distinct programs across 24 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

1 Program
8 Programs
14 Programs
6 Programs
4 Programs
9 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 22 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
22:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$4,147
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$23M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$70,676
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

869 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 652 75% $75,535
Associate Professors 117 13% $58,930
Assistant Professors 52 6% $57,680
Instructors 6 1% $37,842
No Rank 42 5% $55,850

Pros & Cons of Lone Star College System

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Lone Star College System is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Wide variety of programs and student life
  • Low typical debt at graduation
  • First-gen-friendly student body
  • Flexible part-time enrollment options
CONS
  • Larger class sizes than typical
  • Large institutional setting can feel impersonal
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
  • No graduate programs offered at this institution
Best for: Based on the data, Lone Star College System is a fit for working adults or students needing part-time study options; students who want a large campus with breadth and variety.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lone Star College System

The questions families ask most about Lone Star College System, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

How much does Lone Star College System cost?
Budget around $11,252 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Lone Star College System worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $42,466 a year against a net price of $11,252, about 3.8 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Lone Star College System known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Business, Business Administration. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Lone Star College System graduates earn?
About $42,466 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Lone Star College System accredited?
Yes. Lone Star College System is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Lone Star College System?
45,188 students. Large, so expect big lectures and more independence in finding your own footing. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Lone Star College System?
13% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Lone Star College System a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Lone Star College System located?
Lone Star College System is located in The Woodlands, Texas.
What programs does Lone Star College System offer?
80 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Business, Business Administration. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Lone Star College System?
22 students per instructor. On the high side, so expect big classes and to seek out contact time yourself. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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