Houston Community College (HCC), undergoing a comprehensive rebranding to Houston City College beginning in 2025, is a public community college system serving more than 68,000 students across multiple campuses and centers throughout the City of Houston and Harris County, Texas. Founded in 1971, HCC is one of the largest community college systems in Texas and one of the most diverse in the nation, with minority students representing 88 percent of the student population—primarily Hispanic and Black—reflecting the extraordinary diversity of the greater Houston metropolitan area. The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and offers associate degrees, technical certificates, and continuing education programs in healthcare, business administration, information technology, energy, culinary arts, engineering technology, and liberal arts transfer pathways. HCC's in-district tuition is among the lowest in Texas at $84.50 per credit hour, making higher education highly accessible to working adults, first-generation students, and career changers throughout the region. Individual campuses participate in NJCAA intercollegiate athletics. Houston's position as the fourth-largest city in the United States and a global energy capital creates strong demand for HCC's workforce training programs, particularly in energy, healthcare, and technology sectors.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
—
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$6,810
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $5,460
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
