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Community college · Public

Howard College

Big Spring, TXPart of a 2-campus system1,174 online only

Howard College is a public community college in Big Spring, TX, with about 2,962 students on campus and 1,174 more studying only online.

Visit www.howardcollege.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
2,962
plus 1,174 studying only online
Admission rate
Open
open enrollment
Net price a year
$6,147
tuition and fees $2,766; the net price adds housing and food
Graduation rate
35%
lower than at 84% of 2-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$38,382
whole college system
In brief

What to know about Howard College

The only college for 30 miles

No other degree-granting college with students on campus is within 30 miles of Howard College. Nearby ↓

Most undergraduates are Hispanic

50% of Howard College’s undergraduates are Hispanic. The students ↓

Rent in Big Spring is below the state median

Median rent in Big Spring is $1,050 a month, 25% below the state median. Living in Big Spring ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; earnings, debt and repayment are reported for the whole 2-campus system; price, graduation and earnings include online students; graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students.

★ What stands out · Who goes there

The students

1,611 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 39%Hispanic 50%Black 5%Asian 1%Two or more 3%

Women and men

Women 72%Men 28%
25 : 1
students per teacher
24%
get Pell grants (lower income)
9%
take federal loans
15%
undergrads 25 or older
46%
study part time
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Howard College?

Open

anyone with a high school diploma can enroll

Test scores of admitted students

No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Howard College is likely test-optional.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $13,858 a year

Before any grants · out-of-state tuition $6,716

Tuition & fees (in state) $2,766Room & board $6,064Books & supplies $1,690Other costs $3,338

After grants, the average family on aid pays $6,147.

Tuition and fees are $2,766 a year. The net price also counts housing, food and other costs at full price, so a student living at home pays less than it shows.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$7,068

About $14,136 over 2 years · 49% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
35%
within 3 years · Pell students 32%
Come back for year two
71%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$38,382
median, whole college system
Typical debt
$9,500
about $101 a month over 10 years · whole system

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting (whole college system)

3.7%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$101 a month against about $2,702 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, whole college system

42%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 44% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment (whole college system)

Lower incomeunder $30k
$35k
Middle income$30–75k
$43k
Higher incomeover $75k
$51k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Health professions 38%Business 13%Culinary & personal services 9%Education 8%Liberal arts 7%Public safety 5%Everything else 20%

Associate degree programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported); reported for the whole college system.

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities94 graduates a year · typical debt $7,700
$50k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing69 graduates a year · typical debt $12,062
$89k4 yrs out
Business/Commerce, General58 graduates a year · typical debt $7,000
$45k4 yrs out
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs44 graduates a year · typical debt $9,690
$49k4 yrs out
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions30 graduates a year
$76k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods26 graduates a year
—not reported
Criminal Justice and Corrections22 graduates a year
$45k4 yrs out
Agriculture, General18 graduates a year
—not reported
The town around it

Living in Big Spring

5% of Big Spring’s 22,290 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Big Spring pages.

Big Spring →
$1,050/momedian rent · 25% below the state$141Ktypical home valueDSafety Grade33° / 95°January low / July high · 2" of snowC−Health GradeAll colleges in and near Big SpringCompare prices, admissions and outcomes

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid and are reported for the whole 2-campus system. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.