University of St Thomas is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Houston, Texas. It enrolls 3,220 students (a mid-sized 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.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
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 Selective), 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
69/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes60
Value63
Affordability63
Selectivity23
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
University of St Thomas admits 89.9% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
89.9%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
980 – 1210
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
18 – 25
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether University of St Thomas is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
6.1 pts
since 2019
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 $19,359 a year on average, it sits below what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$34,634
Room & Board (on-campus)
$10,840
Room & Board (off-campus)
$10,898
Books & Supplies
$1,094
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,846
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,664
Total Cost of Attendance
$45,672
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
$18,441
$30,001 – $48,000
$17,453
$48,001 – $75,000
$17,972
$75,001 – $110,000
$21,543
Over $110,000
$26,086
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.
$3,50010%percentile
$6,72525%percentile
$19,928Medianpercentile
$26,50075%percentile
$37,50090%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 $15,000
↓ $4,928
No Pell $10,000
↓ $9,928
Dependent students $12,473
↓ $7,455
Independent students $15,264
↓ $4,664
Female students $13,500
↓ $6,428
Male students $11,000
↓ $8,928
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,250, less than completers ($19,928), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
60% of students who start here finish within six years, and 76% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. 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
60%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
76%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $59,224 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$59,224
Earning > $25K
81%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
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
$55,300
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$68,800
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$53,500
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$61,600
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$64,600
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $13,500, about 20% 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 ↑
16.5 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 81% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 3,220 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 38% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
3,220
Part-Time
14%
First-Generation
38%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 55.4%1,784
White 15.8%510
Black 11.4%367
Asian 10.0%323
International 4.4%140
Other 1.6%52
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at University of St Thomas. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
University of St Thomas offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
68 distinct programs across
23 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.
There are 15 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
15:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$212M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$73,803
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
136 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
35
26%
$87,259
Associate Professors
44
32%
$69,998
Assistant Professors
51
38%
$70,058
Instructors
5
4%
$61,460
Lecturers
1
1%
$23,000
Pros & Cons of University of St Thomas
No college is right for everyone. Here is where University of St Thomas is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, University of St Thomas is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about University of St Thomas
The questions families ask most about University of St Thomas, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is University of St Thomas hard to get into?
Not especially. University of St Thomas admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 89.9%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at University of St Thomas?
89.9% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for University of St Thomas?
Aim for 1210 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 980 and 1210 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for University of St Thomas?
Aim for 25 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 18 and 25 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does University of St Thomas cost?
Budget around $19,359 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 University of St Thomas worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $59,224 a year against a net price of $19,359, about 3.1 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 University of St Thomas known for?
Mostly Nursing, Business Administration, Pastoral Counseling. 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 University of St Thomas graduates earn?
About $59,224 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 University of St Thomas accredited?
Yes. University of St Thomas is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend University of St Thomas?
3,220 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at University of St Thomas?
60% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is University of St Thomas a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is University of St Thomas located?
University of St Thomas is located in Houston, Texas.
What programs does University of St Thomas offer?
68 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Business Administration, Pastoral Counseling. 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 University of St Thomas?
15 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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