+54%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Lone Star College System rose 54% between 2021 and 2024 ($2.2k → $3.3k).
Texas · Public · Predominantly associate's
Lone Star College System
The Woodlands, Texas. 47,486 undergraduate students. 83 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at Lone Star College System
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
+18%
150%-time completion
150%-time completion at Lone Star College System rose 18% between 2021 and 2024 (17.9% → 21.1%).
+52%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Lone Star College System rose 52% between 2021 and 2024 ($6.2k → $9.4k).
-28%
First-year retention
First-year retention at Lone Star College System fell 28% between 2017 and 2020 (66.9% → 48.2%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Texas
Each tile compares this institution to the Texas median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$42,466+29% · 6→10y
Texas median $39,639$32,889
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry18.5%+333% · '99→'24
Texas median 51.8%$5,500+228% · '97→'20
At program completion47,486+189% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS—-7% · '04→'20
first-time, full-time—
latest cohort$3,090+348% · '00→'24
out-of-state $8,700SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
1.7%Median federal debt $5,500 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $42,466 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+325%
Lone Star College System · completion · 150% rose
4.9% → 21.1%
+189%
Lone Star College System · undergrad enrollment rose
15,624 → 45,188
+259%
Lone Star College System · in-state tuition rose
$744 → $3,330
+355%
Lone Star College System · out-of-state tuition rose
$2,064 → $9,390
+228%
Lone Star College System · median debt rose
$2,625 → $8,600
+27%
Lone Star College System · earnings_median_10yr rose
$33,400 → $42,466
+23%
Lone Star College System · earnings_median_8yr rose
$30,100 → $36,919
+22%
Lone Star College System · earnings_median_6yr rose
$27,000 → $32,889
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$86,053Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$84,576Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$80,106Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants.$67,662Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$67,117Fire Protection.$66,236Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians.$57,377Business/Commerce, General.$56,073Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR).$54,727Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$54,605Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians.$54,088Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services.$53,961Computer and Information Sciences, General.$50,620Computer and Information Sciences, General.$46,775Accounting and Computer Science.$46,602Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.$45,987Legal Support Services.$44,720Criminal Justice and Corrections.$44,374Business Administration, Management and Operations.$44,318Business Administration, Management and Operations.$43,575Business Operations Support and Assistant Services.$41,910Accounting and Related Services.$40,742Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies.$37,673Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies.$37,117
Showing top 24 of 30 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
30 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
PERSONAL & CULINARY SERVICES · CIP 12
EDUCATION · CIP 13
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 15
LEGAL PROFESSIONS · CIP 22
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES · CIP 30
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
MECHANIC & REPAIR TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 47
PRECISION PRODUCTION · CIP 48
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$86,053Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$84,576Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$67,117Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$80,106Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services.$53,961Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions.$32,945Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants.$67,662
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Lone Star College System
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$202,621
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 10
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $10,373
- HS-only baseline · TX
- $37,300
- Years to complete
- 2
- CIP family
- 24
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in Texas
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Lone Star College System graduates earn $X” — not “Lone Star College System makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Lone Star College System caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.