College Viability Inspection Report

Texas Southern University

Texas · Public

Texas Southern University is a public institution in Texas, enrolling 5,887 students as of 2024. It graduates 11% of students in four years, returns 66% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $13,584 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 4 are flagged: Retention, Graduation, Equity Gap, and Tuition Allocation. This report benchmarks Texas Southern University's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

Texas Southern University Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

Look Beyond the Brochure. Then Ask Your College.

Changing the Balance of Power from Colleges to Students and Families.

Every campus tour is a sales pitch. Colleges will show you the beautiful quad and the smiling Dean — not what doesn't flatter them. The right questions can reveal information that significantly impacts your experience.
College Viability
Data Summary

Texas Southern University — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for Texas Southern University. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate11.0%+57.1%12th
Six-Year Graduation Rate26.0%+23.8%11th
Full-Time Retention Rate66.0%+29.4%21st
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate19.6%+16.1%10th
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap12.6pp+55.6%67th
Pell Share of Cohort79.8%+3.8%93rd

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio1.14×+24.3%65th
Total FTE Enrollment5,887-4.5%81st
Endowment Value$102.1M+50.4%65th
Net Assets (End of Year)$359.5M+101.8%79th

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %26.3%-28.0%24th
Student Support Spending %5.0%-17.2%15th
Administrative Spending %20.2%+35.5%59th
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio1.55×-45.8%19th
Average Net Price$13,584+0.8%26th
Net Price: $0-30K Income$16,437-7.9%62nd
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$21,115-8.9%79th
Net Price: $48-75K Income$21,280-8.2%74th
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$22,698not reported62nd
Net Price: $110K+ Income$21,610-6.7%34th

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
Texas Southern University's retention rate fell below 80% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
Texas Southern University's 4-year graduation rate fell below 50% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
Texas Southern University's Pell graduation gap exceeded 10 percentage points in 3 of 5 eligible years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
Texas Southern University's ratio fell below 1.0 in 2 of 5 reported years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
Texas Southern University's total enrollment fell from 6,161 to 5,887 students between 2020 and 2024 (-4.4%) — less than the 5% decline that triggers this flag.
Financial HealthCleared
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
Texas Southern University's endowment is $102.1M and grew +50.4% between 2020 and 2024 — clearing both the $50 million size threshold and the 15% growth threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
High Cost, Low Completion
Texas Southern University costs less than the national median AND graduates students at below-median rates — only one of two conditions is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
Texas Southern University spends $1.55 on instruction and student support per $1 of admin (2024) — below the national median of $2.75 in 4 of 5 reported years.
Value for MoneyTriggered
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Either net price did not rise or the graduation rate did not decline between 2020 and 2024 — flag not triggered.
Value for MoneyCleared