Metro area directory
Colleges in the Greater Houston Area
CampusPin lists 37 colleges and universities across the Greater Houston metro, 19 universities and 18 community colleges, with 9 public and 28 private institutions across 3 cities.
Greater Houston centers on the city of Houston and adjacent communities along the Gulf Coast. The region is anchored by large public and private universities and a sizable network of community colleges serving a fast-growing population.
Greater Houston colleges by the numbers
- Public / private
- 9 public · 28 private
- 4-year / 2-year
- 19 universities · 18 community colleges
- Cities covered
- 3
- Largest by enrollment
- Lone Star College System
- Lowest published tuition
- San Jacinto Community College ($1,992)
- Published tuition range
- $1,992–$58,128
Among the 37 colleges in the Greater Houston area, Lone Star College System is the largest by enrollment; San Jacinto Community College has the lowest published in-state tuition at $1,992; Rice University is the most selective at a 8% acceptance rate. Published figures are sticker price, not net price, compare net price and outcomes on each profile.
Local labor market
Across all occupations in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an annual median wage of $48,490 (3,246,360 jobs), in its May 2024 OEWS estimate. This is a whole-economy figure for the metro, not a starting salary or a graduate or field-specific wage, but it is a useful gauge of local pay levels and cost of living when weighing colleges here.
Local pay for common roles
Annual median wage in this metro for occupations tied to popular majors (BLS OEWS, May 2024).
- Software Developers$127,940
- Mechanical Engineers$126,870
- General and Operations Managers$108,090
- Registered Nurses$97,810
- Accountants and Auditors$81,290
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$61,950
Local pay reflects the metro labor market, not what any one college's graduates earn. For how a school's cost lines up with student outcomes, see college cost vs. graduation and earnings.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024, all occupations (SOC 00-0000), CBSA 26420.
Colleges by city in the Greater Houston area
Houston (34)
- American College of Acupuncture and Oriental MedUniv · Private
- American InterContinental University-HoustonUniv · Private
- Baylor College of MedicineUniv · Private
- Center for Advanced Legal StudiesCC · Private
- Chamberlain University-TexasUniv · Private
- College of Biblical Studies-HoustonUniv · Private
- College of Health Care ProfessionsCC · Private
- Commonwealth Institute of Funeral ServiceCC · Private
- Culinary Institute IncCC · Private
- Florida Career College-HoustonCC · Private
- Fortis CollegeCC · Private
- Fortis InstituteCC · Private
- Houston Christian UniversityUniv · Private
- Houston Community CollegeCC · Public
- Interactive College of TechnologyCC · Private
- Interactive College of TechnologyCC · Private
- Interactive College of TechnologyCC · Private
- MediaTech Institute-HoustonCC · Private
- Pima Medical Institute-HoustonCC · Private
- Remington College-North Houston CampusCC · Private
- Rice UniversityUniv · Private
- School of Automotive Machinists & TechnologyCC · Private
- South Texas College of Law HoustonUniv · Private
- Texas Southern UniversityUniv · Public
- The College of Health Care Professions-NorthwestUniv · Private
- The College of Health Care Professions-Southwest HoustonCC · Private
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonUniv · Public
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterUniv · Public
- Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc.CC · Private
- University of HoustonUniv · Public
- University of Houston-Clear LakeUniv · Public
- University of Houston-DowntownUniv · Public
- University of St ThomasUniv · Private
- Vet Tech Institute of HoustonCC · Private
Pasadena (2)
The Woodlands (1)
Compare and search across the Greater Houston area
Filter every Texas college by tuition, size, acceptance rate, and setting, then pin and compare your shortlist side by side, no account required.
Other major U.S. metro areas
- Colleges in the New York City area
- Colleges in the Greater Los Angeles area
- Colleges in the Greater Chicago area
- Colleges in the Dallas–Fort Worth area
- Colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area area
- Colleges in the Washington, D.C. area
- Colleges in the Greater Boston area
- Colleges in the Greater Philadelphia area
Data sources & methodology
College listings for the Greater Houston metro are aggregated live from each institution's record, compiled from federal datasets and the institutions' own published information.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Colleges in the Greater Houston Area. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/colleges-in-metro/houston