10-yr median earnings
$42,466
Federal aid recipients only
Public · The Woodlands, Texas
Lone Star College System
Lone Star College System is a public institution in The Woodlands, Texas. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $11,252
- Avg net price / yr
- $42,466
- 10-yr median earnings
- 19.8%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Lone Star College System posts above-median former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 45%
- former-student earnings, US
- 19.8%
- 150%-time completion
- +29%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: Associate's
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Lone Star College System profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Associate's Colleges: High Transfer-Mixed Traditional/Nontraditional"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C-
College Value Score
51/100
Lone Star College System
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings C-
$42,466
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price B
$11,252
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
19.8%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt A-
$8,600
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment D
55.6%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention N/A
N/A
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$11,252
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
19.8%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 19.8%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Lone Star College System vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Lone Star College System ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Lone Star College System: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$42,466 Top 45% higher than 55% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Lone Star College System | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $42,466 | #2303 of 5103 | 55th |
| Average net price | $11,252 | #1356 of 5020 | 73rd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 19.8% | #4687 of 4858 | 4th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 45,188 | #14 of 5462 | 100th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
45,188
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
19.8%
150%-time completion
$42,466
10-yr median earnings
-
First-year retention
How Lone Star College System ranks in Texas
State rank among 324 reporting Texas colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Lone Star College System | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $42,466 | #116 of 324 | 64th |
| Average net price | $11,252 | #88 of 340 | 74th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 19.8% | #310 of 324 | 4th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 45,188 | #2 of 366 | 99th |
Highest former-student earnings in Texas
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast University-Texas | $102,672 | $53,020 |
| 2 | University of North Texas Health Science Center | $93,615 | - |
| 3 | The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston | $92,961 | - |
| 4 | Chamberlain University-Texas | $92,405 | $32,209 |
| 5 | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center | $92,348 | - |
| 6 | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center | $90,232 | - |
| 7 | Rice University | $89,718 | $13,370 |
| 8 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | $88,757 | - |
| 9 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | $82,206 | - |
| 10 | Denver College of Nursing-Houston | $81,809 | - |
| 11 | Covenant School of Nursing and Allied Health | $78,724 | - |
| 12 | Southern Methodist University | $78,354 | $40,892 |
| 116 | Lone Star College SystemThis school | $42,466 | $11,252 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Lone Star College System
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$10,657 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$11,515 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$11,128 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$14,572 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Lone Star College System - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $3,330 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $9,390 |
| Average Net Price | $11,252 |
23.3%
Pell Grant Rate
7.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$8,600
Median Debt
$91/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Lone Star College System rose +51.8% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $6,141 in 2013 to $9,322 in 2023, a rise of $3,181 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $6,1412023 · $9,322
Over the same years, enrollment went -15.6% (56,288 → 47,486 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
61.7%
Female
50.5%
First Generation
Outcomes
$32,889
Median Earnings (6yr)
57.7%
Earning Over $25K
55.6%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 19.8% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $32,889 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $42,466 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 57.7% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 55.6% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $8,600 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $91/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate's | 21 | 8,426 | $53,472 | $93,665 | $8,519 |
| Certificate | 14 | 2,193 | $53,008 | $83,636 | $6,042 |
Top programs at Lone Star College System by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$93,665 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$83,636 median earnings
- Allied Health Diagnostic, …
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
$82,476 median earnings
- Allied Health Diagnostic, …
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
$73,655 median earnings
- Industrial Production Tech…
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians
$71,664 median earnings
- Practical Nursing, Vocatio…
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants
$67,278 median earnings
- Dental Support Services an…
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
$58,154 median earnings
- Allied Health and Medical …
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
$54,262 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Nearby Schools
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Escuela de Artes Plasticas y Diseno de Puerto Rico
San Juan, PR
+$417/year · $0/year apart
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, AR
+$419/year · $1/year apart
Highland Community College
Highland, KS
+$419/year · $1/year apart
Western Nevada College
Carson City, NV
+$416/year · $1/year apart
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for Lone Star College System? ▼
Lone Star College System is a public institution in The Woodlands, Texas. Undergraduate enrollment is 45,188 students.
How much do Lone Star College System former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Lone Star College System who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $42,466 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $32,889.
How much does Lone Star College System cost? ▼
The average net price at Lone Star College System is $11,252. In-state tuition is $3,330 and out-of-state tuition is $9,390. Median student debt at graduation is $8,600.
What is the graduation rate at Lone Star College System? ▼
Lone Star College System has a 19.8% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program).
Is Lone Star College System worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Lone Star College System is $8,600, while former students earn a median of $42,466 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 20% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 55.6% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $91.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Lone Star College System
- Compare Lone Star College System against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Texas side by side.Browse Texas
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.