Houston Community College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes

Houston Community College is a public institution located in Commerce, Texas. For the most recent reporting cycle, Houston Community College admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 93%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1067 and an ACT composite around 21. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $11,268 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Houston Community College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.

What GPA does my child need for Houston Community College?

Houston Community College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.

SAT and ACT scores Houston Community College typically admits

The middle-50 SAT Math range is 460–580, with an EBRW midpoint near 525. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 18–24. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.

How much does Houston Community College actually cost?

Published tuition is $10,026 for in-state students and $22,626 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $9,808 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $11,268 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 41% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.

Application deadlines and early decision data for Houston Community College

Most popular majors at Houston Community College

The most popular undergraduate programs at Houston Community College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other, Criminal Justice and Corrections and Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. Across all programs, Houston Community College confers roughly 1,263 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other program report a median income of about $51,684 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.

Is Houston Community College safe? Campus crime & safety

In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Houston Community College disclosed 29 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 2.9 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 4 violent offenses and 11 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.

Other colleges in Texas parents ask about

• Rice University
  29% acceptance
• University of Texas at Austin
  63% acceptance
• Texas A&M University-College Station
  8% acceptance
• Southern Methodist University
  89% acceptance
• Baylor University
  85% acceptance
• Texas Christian University
  71% acceptance
• University of Houston
  97% acceptance
• Texas State University
  88% acceptance

Common questions parents ask about Houston Community College