Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Sam Houston State University, University of North Florida, Texas Tech University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Sam HoustonHuntsville, TX | North FloridaJacksonville, FL | Texas TechLubbock, TX |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 90.3% | 53.2% | 72.7% |
| SAT middle 50% | 930–1120 | 1070–1270 | 1090–1280 |
| Average net price | $16,40441.3% on Pell grants | $10,15430.8% on Pell grants | $19,07027.8% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $9,228 in-state · $19,068 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $6,389 in-state · $20,793 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $11,852 in-state · $24,451 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 54.8% | 69.2% | 68.7% |
| First-year retention | 73.3% | 84.7% | 85.0% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 41.3% | 30.8% | 27.8% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $54,211 | $56,343 | $62,454 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $21,983 | $15,531 | $21,500 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 20:1 | 19:1 | 21:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 17,743 | 13,359 | 32,394 |
| Consensus percentile | 35Lower is better | 35Lower is better | 34Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 42 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 57 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 45 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Sam Houston | North Florida | Texas Tech |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #257 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #222 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #198 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | Not ranked by this source | #330 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #161 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #255 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #129 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #438 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #219 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #170 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #229 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #488 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #391 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #103 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | #740 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing Sam Houston State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of North Florida on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Texas Tech University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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