Howard College
Tel:
(432)264-5000
- We are a progressive and public community college dedicated to providing students with dynamic centers of learning and promoting economic and community development while being resourceful and fiscally responsible.
School Highlights
- Howard College serves 3,756 students (28% of students are full-time).
- The college's student:teacher ratio of 31:1 is lower than the state community college average of 35:1.
- Minority enrollment is 49% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the state average of 61%.
- Howard College is one of 2 community colleges within Howard County, TX.
- The nearest community college to Howard College is Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf (3.9 miles away).
Top Placements
Howard College places among the top 20% of community colleges in Texas for:
- Category Attribute
- Debt For Students Least debt for graduating students
School Overview
- The teacher population of 121 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
| Howard College | (TX) Community College Avg. | |
| Institution Level | At least 2 but less than 4 years | At least 2 but less than 4 years |
| Institution Control | Public | Public |
| Total Faculty | 121 staff | 76 staff |
| Total Enrollment | 3,756 students | 3,921 students |
 | ||
| Student : Teacher Ratio | 31:1 | 35:1 |
| # Full-Time Students | 1,055 students | 1,055 students |
| # Part-Time Students | 2,701 students | 2,866 students |
 |  | |
| Total Dormitory Capacity | 252 | 252 |
| % Asian | - | 4% |
| % Hispanic | 41% | 37% |
| % Black | 3% | 13% |
| % White | 51% | 39% |
| % Two or more races | 3% | 2% |
 |  | |
| Diversity Score | 0.57 | 0.69 |
 | ||
| College Completion Rate | 21% | 21% |
| Average Graduate Earnings (10 Years) | $33,400 | $33,800 |
Source: 2016 (or latest year available) IPEDS
School Notes
- The Howard County Junior College District was created by a county-wide vote on November 17, 1945. Seven citizens of Howard County were elected on that same ballot to serve as a Board of Trustees. Howard College was first housed two miles west of downtown Big Spring in the hospital area of the former Air Force Bombardier School. The first session began on September 30, 1946. On September 12, 1951, the college was moved to a one hundred acre campus located in southeast Big Spring. On November 6, 1979, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to establish the SouthWest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf as a part of the Howard County Junior College District. The first classes offered through this program began on August 25, 1980. Howard College/Big Spring physical facilities are located on a spacious campus. The 120-acre campus contains an administration-classroom complex, a two-story science building, a 14,000 square foot library building, a fitness center, a student union building, a music building, a practical arts building, an applied science center, a 28,000 square foot occupational building, residence halls for men and women, a 90,000 square foot coliseum complex, a baseball park, a softball park, and a football stadium with a seating capacity of ten thousand, utilized and maintained by the Big Spring Independent School District. Howard College is accredited by The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees.
Nearby Schools
- The nearest community college to Howard College is Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf (3.9 miles away).
- College Location Mi. Students
- 115 students | 3.90 Mi3200 Ave C
Big Spring, TX 79720
(432)264-3700 3.90115 - 5,645 students | 41.50 Mi3600 N Garfield
Midland, TX 79705
(432)685-4556 41.505,645 - 2,179 students | 43.00 Mi6200 College Ave
Snyder, TX 79549
(325)573-8511 43.002,179 - Odessa CollegePublic5,059 students | 60.60 Mi201 W University Blvd
Odessa, TX 79764
(432)335-6400 60.605,059 - 1,453 students | 63.20 Mi300 Homer K. Taylor Drive
Sweetwater, TX 79556
(325)235-7300 63.201,453
Recent Articles
We look at why millions of Americans are choosing community college over a traditional four-year school today.
Many students enroll in community college with the intent of transferring to a four-year school. Of those who do, many succeed, and yet traditional colleges and universities continue to overlook them. Read on to learn more about why more community college students don’t transfer schools and to receive some tips for making the transfer yourself.
Community college is the only option for many students who either can’t afford a traditional four-year university or who need a more flexible school environment. Just because community college is different, however, doesn’t mean that its students matter any less. The Aspen Prize exists to encourage community colleges to do more for their students and to continually strive for improvement.
