NSU vs. UHCL

Northwestern State University of Louisiana vs. University of Houston Clear Lake comparison

	Northwestern State University of Louisiana	University of Houston Clear Lake	College 3	College 4
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Overview	NSU	UHCL
Location	Natchitoches, LA	Houston, TX
Setting	Remote Town	Large Suburban
Enrollment	9,389	8,562
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#975
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nsula.edu	uhcl.edu
Team Colors

Costs	NSU	UHCL
Tuition (In State)	$5,180	$6,024
Tuition (Out of State)	$15,968	$19,320
Room & Board	$10,269	$9,440
Avg Net Price	$14,238	$17,871
Avg Grant Aid	$9,499	$16,973
% Receiving Grant Aid	89%	78%

Admission	NSU	UHCL
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,903	1,985
Admitted	2,843	1,377
Acceptance Rate	97.9%	69.4%
Enrolled %	35.9%	25.6%
Avg High School GPA	3.3	3.39
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Very Easy
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	18/23	19/23
SAT Range	955/1135	990/1173
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Jun 1, 2025

Academics	NSU	UHCL
Student to Faculty Ratio	17:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Liberal Arts and Humanities (39%) Health Professions (19%) Business (9%) Psychology (7%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (5%)
Outcomes	NSU	UHCL
Graduation Rate	37%	-
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,100	$53,700
Making Student Loan Payments	46%	56%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,531	$17,150
Median Loan Payment	$222	$177

Diversity	NSU	UHCL
% Men	29%	37%
% Women	71%	63%
Racial Diversity	High	Very High
HBCU	No	No
% White	54%	43%
% Black	31%	9%
% Hispanic	5%	36%
% Native American	2%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	4%	3%
% International	1%	2%
% Unknown Race	2%	1%

Students	NSU	UHCL
% In-State	98%	100%
% Out-of-State	2%	0%
Campus	NSU	UHCL
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No
Daycare Facility	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Northwestern State University of Louisiana is larger than than UHCL based on total student enrollment (9,389 students vs. 8,562 students)

NSU vs. UHCL Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, NSU or UHCL?

• University of Houston Clear Lake is 16.3% more expensive to attend than NSU for in-state tuition ($6,024.00 vs. $5,180.00)
• Out of state tuition is 21% higher at UHCL than Northwestern State University of Louisiana ($19,320.00 vs. $15,968.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Northwestern State University of Louisiana than UHCL ($14,238 vs. $17,871)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of Houston Clear Lake are 8.8% lower than costs at Northwestern State University of Louisiana ($9,440 vs. $10,269)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern State University of Louisiana than University of Houston Clear Lake (89% vs. 78%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by University of Houston Clear Lake students is 78.7% larger than aid received Northwestern State University of Louisiana ($16,973 vs. $9,499)

NSU vs. UHCL Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, NSU or UHCL? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between UHCL or NSU .

• The average SAT score at University of Houston Clear Lake (1025) is 17 points higher than at NSU (1008)
• Incoming NSU students have at the same average ACT score (22) as students at UHCL (22)
• Accepted freshman UHCL students have a 0.09 point higher average high school GPA (3.39) than students at NSU (3.3)
• NSU has a higher acceptance rate (97.9%) than UHCL (69.4%)

NSU vs. UHCL Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, NSU or UHCL? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between UHCL and NSU.

• Graduates from University of Houston Clear Lake earn on average $15,600 more per year than NSU graduates after ten years. ($53,700 vs. $38,100)
• University of Houston Clear Lake students graduate with a $4,381 lower median federal student loan debt than NSU graduates. ($17,150 vs. $21,531)
• UHCL graduates are paying $45 less per month on federal student loans than NSU graduates. ($177 vs. $222)
• More UHCL graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former NSU students, three years after graduation. (56% vs. 46%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/