University of Houston

This article is about the research university. For other uses, see University of Houston (disambiguation).

University of Houston
Seal of University of Houston
Other names
UH, U of H, or Houston
Former names
Houston Junior College
(1927–1934)
University of Houston–University Park
(1983–1991)
MottoIn Tempore (Latin)
Motto in English
"In Time"
TypePublic research university
EstablishedMarch 7, 1927;
97 years ago (1927-03-07)
FounderEdison E. Oberholtzer
Parent institution
University of Houston System
AccreditationSACS
Academic affiliations
Endowment$785.77 million (2023)
(UH only)[1]
$1.02 billion (2023)
(system-wide)[1]
Budget$1.47 billion (FY2024)[2]
PresidentRenu Khator
ProvostDiane Z. Chase[3]
Academic staff
3,263 (Fall 2023)[4]
Students46,676 (Fall 2023)[4]
Undergraduates37,356 (Fall 2023)[4]
Postgraduates8,612 (Fall 2023)[4]
Other students
708 (Fall 2023)[4]
Location
Houston
,
Texas
,
United States

29°43′08″N 95°20′21″W / 29.7189°N 95.3392°W / 29.7189; -95.3392
CampusLarge city[5], 894 acres (362 hectares)
Other campuses
NewspaperThe Cougar
Colors  Scarlet Red
  Albino White[6]
Nickname
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I FBS –
Big 12
MascotShasta and Sasha
Websiteuh.edu

The University of Houston (/ˈhjuːstən/ ⓘ; HEW-stən) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in the first decades of the 20th century.[7][8] In 1934, HJC was restructured as a four-year degree-granting institution and renamed as the University of Houston. In 1977, it became the founding member of the University of Houston System. Today, Houston is the fourth-largest university in Texas, awarding 11,156 degrees in 2023.[4] As of 2024, it has a worldwide alumni base of 331,672.[9]

The university consists of fifteen colleges and an interdisciplinary honors college offering some 310-degree programs and enrolls approximately 37,000 undergraduate and 8,600 graduate students.[10][11][12] The university's campus, which is primarily in southeast Houston, spans 894 acres (3.62 km2), with the inclusion of its two instructional sites located in Sugar Land and Katy.[13] The university is also the founding campus of the University of Houston System.[14]

The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity"[15][16][17][18] and spends approximately $240 million annually in research. The university operates more than 35 research centers and institutes on campus[19][20] in areas such as superconductivity, space commercialization and exploration, biomedical sciences and engineering, energy and natural resources, and artificial intelligence.

The university has more than 500 student organizations and 17 intercollegiate sports teams.[21] Its varsity athletic teams, known as the Houston Cougars, are members of the Big 12 Conference and compete in the NCAA Division I in all sports. In 2021, the university received and accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 Conference.[22] The football team regularly makes bowl game appearances, and the men's basketball team has made 23 appearances in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament—including six Elite Eight and Final Four appearances. The men's golf team has won 16 national championships—the most in NCAA history.[13] In 2022, UH's men's track and field team earned its seventh Indoor Conference Championship title, and its swimming and diving team defended its American Athletic Conference title for the sixth straight season.[23][24]

  1. ^ a b As of August 31, 2023. "Independent Auditor's Report and Financial Statements: August 31, 2023 and 2022". University of Houston System. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  2. ^ "Fiscal Year 2024 Plan and Budget" (PDF). University of Houston System. August 23, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  3. ^ University of Houston. "SVP for Academic Affairs and Provost Diane Z. Chase". University of Houston: Office of the Provost. University of Houston. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "University of Houston: Fall 2023 Facts" (PDF). University of Houston. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  5. ^ "IPEDS-University of Houston". Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  6. ^ "University of Houston Brand Style Guide". Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  7. ^ Richard L. Drury. "Community Colleges in America: A Historical Perspective" (PDF). Inquiry, Volume 8, Number 1, Spring 2003.
  8. ^ "Community Colleges – The History of Community Colleges, The junior college and the research university., The Community College Mission". education.stateuniversity.com.
  9. ^ University of Houston. "2024 Annual Report". University of Houston Advancement. University of Houston. Archived from the original on July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  10. ^ "Undergraduate Admissions – Majors". University of Houston. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  11. ^ "Graduate School – Programs and Colleges". University of Houston. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  12. ^ University of Houston. "University of Houston: Fall 2022 Facts" (PDF). University of Houston. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  13. ^ a b University of Houston. "University of Houston: Fall 2021 Facts" (PDF). University of Houston. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  14. ^ "University of Houston Administrator's Statement". University of Houston System. Archived from the original on February 2, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  15. ^ Bonnin, Richard. "Carnegie Foundation Gives University of Houston its Highest Classification for Research Success, Elevating U of H to Tier One Status". University of Houston. Archived from the original on September 20, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  16. ^ "UH achieves Tier One status in research". Houston Business Journal. January 21, 2011. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  17. ^ "UH takes big step up to Tier One status". Houston Chronicle. January 18, 2011. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  18. ^ Watkins, Matthew (February 2, 2016). "Four Texas Colleges Reach Carnegie "Tier One" Status". The Texas Tribune.
  19. ^ University of Houston. "University of Houston: Research". University of Houston. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference University of Houston: About was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ "UH at a Glance". University of Houston. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  22. ^ Mueller, James (September 10, 2021). "Long-awaited dream: UH accepts invite to join Big 12". The Cougar. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  23. ^ Garrett, Tyler (February 20, 2022). "UH swimming and diving wins sixth straight AAC title". The Cougar. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  24. ^ Thomas, Sean (June 12, 2022). "UH track and field earns seven All-American honors at NCAA Championship". The Cougar. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.