“Houston HBCU and cultural anchor of Houston's Third Ward, classified R2 for research activity.”
Texas Southern University (TSU) is a public Historically Black University in Houston, Texas, founded in 1927 and designated a 'special purpose institution for urban programming' by the Texas Legislature. Situated on a 150-acre campus in Houston's historic Third Ward, TSU is one of the largest and most comprehensive HBCUs in the United States, with roughly 7,800 students pursuing more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs across 10 colleges and schools. As the only HBCU in Texas with a law school, college of pharmacy, and journalism program all on one campus, TSU plays an outsized role in diversifying the legal, pharmaceutical, and media professions nationally. The Thurgood Marshall School of Law — one of six public law schools in Texas and one of the most racially diverse law schools in the nation — is named for the Supreme Court Justice and civil rights attorney. The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences confers the Pharm.D. and is one of the nation's top producers of Black pharmacists, while the Jesse H. Jones School of Business (AACSB-accredited) is named for the influential Houston banker and New Deal-era federal official. TSU's School of Communication, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, and School of Public Affairs round out a comprehensive academic portfolio with strong urban-policy and professional-training orientation. Student life at TSU is anchored by HBCU pride, Houston's third-largest-metro cultural scene, and Tigers athletics in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The 'Ocean of Soul' marching band has performed at NFL halftime shows and Macy's Thanksgiving parades, and the annual Labor Day Classic football rivalry against Prairie View A&M is one of the most-attended HBCU games in Texas. For international students — especially from Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America — TSU offers an affordable in-state-adjacent tuition, a diverse student body, deep Houston internship pipelines in energy, healthcare, and aerospace (NASA's Johnson Space Center), and a close-knit HBCU community.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Research activity
Carnegie Classification
HBCU size
TSU homepage
Bachelor's Degrees
TSU homepage
Law School
TSU homepage
Test Required — All applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores.
Official SourceFall (International)
Spring (International)
Summer I (International)
Summer II (International)
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$9,173
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$21,473
/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.
3 years
ABA-accredited JD at one of the nation's most racially diverse law schools, with strong civil rights, criminal justice, and public interest traditions.
6 years
Houston's only HBCU-based Pharm.D. — a 2+4 pathway (pre-pharmacy + professional program) and a leading pipeline of Black pharmacists in Texas.
4 years
One of the strongest HBCU journalism programs in the country — alumni include pioneering Black broadcasters and Pulitzer-tier reporters.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $21,473
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.
