If you're looking at Texas public universities beyond UT Austin and Texas A&M, the University of Houston deserves a serious look, especially if energy, engineering, or business is on your radar. UH is a large, Carnegie-classified Tier One public research university sitting in the middle of Houston's energy corridor and medical center, with an undergraduate acceptance rate for international applicants that runs notably higher than for domestic out-of-state students. That combination (a real research university, a high admit rate for international applicants, and direct proximity to major employers like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell) makes UH a practical, underrated option for students who don't need Ivy-level brand recognition to justify the cost of a US degree.
This guide covers what you actually need to know: acceptance rate, tuition and living costs, admission requirements, exact IELTS/TOEFL/PTE/Duolingo thresholds, and what career outcomes and OPT eligibility look like after graduation.
University of Houston Acceptance Rate
According to the University of Houston's own Fall 2025 Common Data Set (Section C1), the university admitted 75.77% of first-time, first-year applicants overall (26,312 admitted out of 34,728 applicants). Broken down by residency:
- In-state Texas applicants: ~77.5% admitted
- Out-of-state domestic applicants: ~62.3% admitted
- International applicants: ~85.35% admitted, the highest of any group
UH does not publish a single university-wide graduate acceptance rate; admission is decentralized by department, and individual programs (particularly in the Cullen College of Engineering and the C.T. Bauer College of Business) can be considerably more selective than the undergraduate headline figure suggests. For specific programs like Petroleum Engineering and Computer Science, UH does not publish a department-level admit rate; third-party estimate sites cite figures in the 60-70% range for some engineering majors, but treat any such number as an unverified estimate rather than an official statistic.
Tuition and Cost of Attendance
UH tuition and fees are set per semester credit hour (SCH) and vary by college. For the 2026-2027 academic year (Academic Year 2027), published non-resident/international rates include:
| Cost item | Undergraduate (International/Non-Resident) | Graduate (International/Non-Resident) |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees, per semester (Architecture/Business/Engineering, fixed-rate full-time plan) | ~$14,602.87 | Billed per credit hour |
| Tuition & fees, per semester (Natural Sciences & Math, e.g. Computer Science) | ~$14,032.64 | Billed per credit hour |
| Estimated annual tuition & fees (two semesters) | ~$28,000-29,200/year | Engineering: ~$1,107/credit hour; Business: |
| Room and board (on-campus) | Similar | |
| Books and supplies | ~$1,000-1,500/year | Similar |
| International student health insurance (mandatory) | ~$1,800-3,000/year | Similar |
| Personal expenses | ~$5,300/year (estimate) | Similar |
Third-party aggregators put total estimated cost of attendance for international undergraduates in the $38,000-45,000/year range once tuition, housing, insurance, and personal costs are combined; UH's own published figures confirm the tuition component but do not consolidate all the living-cost line items into one official total, so treat the all-in total as a reasonable estimate rather than a university-published figure.
International students are not eligible for US federal financial aid. UH does offer merit scholarships to strong international applicants and graduate assistantships (TA/RA positions) in many departments, particularly in engineering and the sciences, though funding is competitive and department-dependent.
Admission Requirements
Undergraduate (International Freshman)
- Completed application and a $90 nonrefundable international application fee
- Official secondary school transcripts (grades 9-12), mark sheets, and external exam results, with certified English translations if not originally in English
- Copy of passport biometric page
- Financial documentation showing a minimum balance (UH's published figure is around $43,110, covering estimated first-year costs)
- SAT/ACT: optional for most majors, though some direct-admit engineering pathways use SAT/ACT as one qualifying route (see below)
- Evidence of English proficiency (unless exempt)
Deadlines: Fall scholarship-priority deadline is typically November 2 the year before; the regular Fall deadline runs into early May. UH uses a mix of priority and regular rolling deadlines, so applying earlier improves scholarship and housing chances.
Graduate
Requirements vary by department but generally include:
- UH Graduate School application (ApplyWeb) plus a department-specific supplement
- $80 application fee for international applicants
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended
- Statement of purpose and resume/CV
- Three letters of recommendation
- GRE: required by most Computer Science tracks (Core, Data Analytics, Parallel and Distributed Systems, Interactive Media), waived for recent UH bachelor's graduates with a 3.40+ GPA, and optional-but-recommended for the AI track; Petroleum Engineering also requires GRE for unconditional admission
- English proficiency scores (unless exempt)
- Minimum GPA around 3.0/4.0 (cumulative or in the last 60 credit hours) is the general benchmark departments cite as competitive
Deadlines (Computer Science, as a representative example): Fall entry, April 1 for international applicants; Spring entry, October 1 for all applicants. Deadlines vary by department, so always confirm on the specific program's page.
How to Get Into University of Houston
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Understand the direct-admit pathways for engineering majors. For programs including Petroleum Engineering and Computer Engineering, UH's Cullen College of Engineering automatically admits freshman applicants who meet at least one of: top 10% high school class rank, a 3.8+ GPA, or a 1400+ SAT / 32+ ACT combined with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Applicants who don't meet one of these thresholds go through holistic review instead, so hitting one clean threshold removes most of the uncertainty.
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Meet the GPA bar cleanly rather than relying on holistic review. UH's own published guidance is explicit that GPA is calculated only from English, math, science, and social studies grades, so make sure your transcript's core academic grades (not electives) clear the threshold for your intended program.
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For Computer Science graduate applicants, decide your track early. The GRE is required for most CS tracks but waived or optional depending on your background and track choice (AI track, or recent UH graduates with strong GPAs). Applying to the track that matches your profile can materially change what you need to submit.
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Build a complete financial documentation package early for the I-20. UH requires proof of funds (its own published minimum estimate is roughly $43,110 for undergraduates) before issuing the visa documentation, so gather bank statements or sponsor letters well ahead of your intended enrollment term.
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Apply by the priority deadline if scholarships matter to you. UH's scholarship-priority Fall deadline (typically around November 2) is meaningfully earlier than its regular deadline, and merit scholarships for international students are awarded from within that earlier applicant pool.
IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, and Duolingo Requirements
UH's English proficiency thresholds are consistent across undergraduate and graduate admission at the university-wide level, though individual programs can set higher minimums.
| Test | Undergraduate minimum | Graduate minimum |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 overall | 6.5 overall |
| TOEFL iBT | 79 | 79 |
| PTE Academic | Not published for undergraduate on UH's general page | 53 |
| Duolingo English Test | 105 | 105 |
Waivers: Requirements are waived for applicants who hold a bachelor's degree (or, for undergraduates, a high school diploma) from a regionally accredited US institution, or from an institution in a recognized English-speaking country where English is the primary language of instruction. Completing Level 6 of UH's own Intensive English Program (Language and Culture Center) also satisfies the requirement without a separate test. Scores are valid for two years from the test date.
Because UH's minimums sit close to the floor for competitive STEM admission (6.5 IELTS / 79 TOEFL), and individual graduate programs can require more, always double-check your specific department's page rather than assuming the university-wide minimum applies.
Career Outcomes and OPT Relevance
UH's career outcomes data is decentralized by college rather than published as one university-wide figure, which is worth knowing upfront:
- College of Engineering: a knowledge rate of about 73% based on voluntarily reported outcomes from roughly 970 of 1,331 May 2026 graduates; the college's career center reports employer engagement with major oil and gas and industrial employers
- C.T. Bauer College of Business: a knowledge rate of about 67.3% based on 1,385 reported outcomes out of 2,058 BBA graduates
- University-wide alumni earnings: UH's own data (via third-party aggregation of federal College Scorecard figures) shows alumni earning an average of about $45,500/year six years after enrollment, rising to about $59,000/year at the ten-year mark
- Notable recruiters for Petroleum and Cullen College of Engineering graduates: ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and BP are frequently cited recruiters for petroleum, reservoir, drilling, and production engineering roles, reflecting Houston's position as a global energy hub
- A precise, single "employment rate" figure for the university as a whole is not published in a form that combines all colleges; treat any all-up percentage you see elsewhere as an estimate rather than an official UH statistic
For OPT purposes, most Cullen College of Engineering degrees, including Petroleum Engineering, and most Computer Science degrees are STEM-designated, which qualifies graduates for the standard 12-month OPT period plus the 24-month STEM OPT extension, giving up to three years of US work authorization after graduation before an H-1B or other visa becomes necessary.
Is University of Houston the Right Fit?
UH makes the most sense if you want a legitimate, large public research university with genuinely strong ties to a specific industry (energy, in particular, for Petroleum Engineering, but also healthcare, business, and tech), a high admit rate for international applicants, and moderate cost relative to elite private schools. It's a weaker fit if you're looking for a small, tightly-knit campus experience or a brand name that carries weight outside the US and outside specific industries UH is known for.
For applicants specifically targeting Petroleum Engineering or Computer Science, UH's direct-admit GPA/test-score pathways and department-level OPT-eligible STEM designations make it a realistic, well-connected option worth comparing seriously against bigger-name engineering schools with less certain admission odds.