---
title: Houston City College — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Houston, TX
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Houston City College

Houston, TX · Public · Associate-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $39,254 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $18,789 – $61,121 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $8,752 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $7,750 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 17% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $12,009 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 61% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.22× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $11,254 | derived |

**17% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $8,752 (≈ 22% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $16,597 to $61,208 across 26 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Associate's Degree | $61,208 | $12,455 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions. | Associate's Degree | $59,821 | not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Associate's Degree | $58,131 | $17,487 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $48,612 | $10,500 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services. | Associate's Degree | $47,243 | $15,000 |
| Physical Science Technologies/Technicians. | Associate's Degree | $46,552 | $16,784 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions. | Associate's Degree | $46,419 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $44,990 | $9,500 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Associate's Degree | $43,392 | not reported |
| Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians. | Associate's Degree | $42,364 | $19,625 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Associate's Degree | $38,394 | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Associate's Degree | $32,650 | $15,625 |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant Services. | Associate's Degree | $32,366 | $33,518 |
| Fire Protection. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $28,765 | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $28,318 | $13,625 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $27,443 | not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Associate's Degree | $27,295 | not reported |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $27,208 | not reported |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR). | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $26,743 | not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Associate's Degree | $26,081 | $14,301 |
| Precision Metal Working. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $24,141 | $9,500 |
| Graphic Communications. | Associate's Degree | $21,579 | not reported |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant Services. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $21,125 | $18,595 |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services. | Associate's Degree | $20,663 | $20,327 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $19,268 | $9,500 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services. | Associate's Degree | $16,597 | $21,317 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Houston City College by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?225423

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/houston-city-college-tx.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`