This guide covers the real cost of attending University of Houston-Downtown, covering the cost range, projected degree costs, net price, debt at graduation, default rates, and aid distribution patterns.
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Cost of attendance at University of Houston-Downtown fell between $23,017.00 and $32,857.00 depending on whether you qualify for in-state rates.
Where you live mattered — in-state students paid less than out-of-state students: around $23,017.00 in-state compared with $32,857.00 for out-of-state students.
Cost is shown below as the full sticker price, the average net price after aid, and the low-income net price.
| Tuition and fees | $7,708.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $15,309.00 |
| Total cost | $23,017.00 |
| That is 20% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $23,017.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$10,207.00 |
| Net price | $12,810.00 |
| That is 33% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $23,017.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$11,310.00 |
| Net price | $11,707.00 |
| That is 39% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $17,548.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $15,309.00 |
| Total cost | $32,857.00 |
| That is 71% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $32,857.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$10,207.00 |
| Net price | $22,650.00 |
| That is 18% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $32,857.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$11,310.00 |
| Net price | $21,547.00 |
| That is 12% above the national average net price. | |
| For the full breakdown, see the tuition & fees page plus room and board. |
Published costs have climbed year over year by roughly 0.1% per year; the projections below compound that across a degree. These tables carry the cost across a degree for three cases: low-income w/ aid, average aid, and no aid. The repayment figures use a ten-year loan at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Freshman year | $11,713.00 | $12,817.00 | $23,029.00 |
| Senior year | $11,732.00 | $12,837.00 | $23,065.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $46,889.00 | $51,307.00 | $92,189.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $17,863.00 | $19,546.00 | $35,121.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $540.00 | $590.00 | $1,061.00 |
| Total amount paid | $64,753.00 | $70,853.00 | $127,309.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Freshman year | $11,713.00 | $12,817.00 | $23,029.00 |
| Senior year | $11,719.00 | $12,823.00 | $23,041.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $23,432.00 | $25,640.00 | $46,070.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $8,927.00 | $9,768.00 | $17,551.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $270.00 | $295.00 | $530.00 |
| Total amount paid | $32,359.00 | $35,408.00 | $63,621.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Freshman year | $21,558.00 | $22,662.00 | $32,874.00 |
| Senior year | $21,592.00 | $22,698.00 | $32,926.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $86,301.00 | $90,719.00 | $131,600.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $32,878.00 | $34,561.00 | $50,135.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $993.00 | $1,044.00 | $1,514.00 |
| Total amount paid | $119,179.00 | $125,279.00 | $181,735.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Freshman year | $21,558.00 | $22,662.00 | $32,874.00 |
| Senior year | $21,570.00 | $22,674.00 | $32,891.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $43,128.00 | $45,336.00 | $65,766.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $16,430.00 | $17,271.00 | $25,054.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $496.00 | $522.00 | $757.00 |
| Total amount paid | $59,558.00 | $62,607.00 | $90,820.00 |
Jump to the net-price detail in the net price section below.
Net price reflects the true cost to attend after grant and scholarship aid is deducted. For most prospective students, net price gives a more realistic estimate than sticker tuition.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $10,542.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $14,623.00 |
The real cost varies by income because need-based aid scales with financial need. Below, average net price is broken out by family income:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $13,486.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $13,911.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $16,332.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $19,673.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $22,498.00 |
For a personalized estimate, try the University of Houston-Downtown Net Price Calculator, or visit the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid page.
Typical debt at graduation from University of Houston-Downtown is $13,750.00, landing it in the Low ($10-20k) debt-burden category.
Here’s how debt at graduation distributes across borrowers:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $3,250.00 |
| 25th | $6,233.00 |
| Median (50th) | $13,750.00 |
| 75th | $25,340.00 |
| 90th | $37,446.00 |
How far apart the 10th and 90th percentiles sit tells you how uneven debt outcomes are.
Explore borrowing, repayment, and default in detail on the student loan debt page.
Debt at graduation is far from uniform across income levels. The breakdown below segments borrowers by family income at entry:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,500.00 |
| Middle income | $13,657.00 |
| High income | $12,500.00 |
Borrowers from lower-income families leave school with $2,000.00 more than graduates from high-income families.
First-gen students typically face different financial-aid contexts than students whose parents attended college.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,750.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,381.00 |
The Pell Grant is the main federal need-based award for undergraduates. Contrasting Pell and non-Pell borrowers shows how need shapes debt.
The gap between Pell-eligible and non-Pell median debt at University of Houston-Downtown works out to $2,444.00. Federal data flags this school for Pell-related debt inequity.
The federal default-rate tier for University of Houston-Downtown is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 8.5% |
To give some context for these rates, Stafford loans disbursed at University of Houston-Downtown total $912,237,354.00 spread across 41,743 loan recipients.
Veterans and active-duty servicemembers can tap dedicated federal aid programs including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Department of Defense Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 309 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $6,119.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 18 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $2,986.00 |
Explore GI Bill and military aid in detail on the veteran aid breakdown.
The data above is a foundation; round it out by asking yourself about University of Houston-Downtown, keep these questions in mind:
Explore the related pages below for a deeper look at the cost picture:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.