Commonwealth Institute
of Funeral Service
Private College in Houston, TX. Six-year graduation rate 55%. Median 10-year earnings $37,786.
Ten-year median earnings of $37,786 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. The six-year graduation rate is 55%, meaning about one in two students who start do not finish. Median debt at graduation is $9,500, a light load against those earnings.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.25 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service admits 86% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. Only 81 students applied, so treat these rates as directional — small pools swing sharply between cycles. 100% of admitted students actually enroll, which is a high yield by national standards. The score bands below rest on the 39% of enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 498–678 | 5 (39%) |
| SAT Math | 498–593 | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service →Academics
Completion is middling: 55% finish inside six years. 35% first-year retention is low enough to be the defining risk of enrolling here. A 29:1 ratio means students need to be deliberate about getting faculty time. As a private nonprofit two-year college, the relevant comparison is other two-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions. At 382 undergraduates, expect a small, closely-held student body.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 382 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price averages $43,388 annually, so cost is the first thing to weigh here. Net price varies modestly by income — $44,047 at $0–30k against $43,890 at $30–48k — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Only 41% of students receive grant aid, so most families are paying near the published price. Federal borrowing reaches 51% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 147 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $44,047 |
| $30–48k | $43,890 |
| $48–75k | — |
| $75–110k | — |
| $110k+ | — |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 196 of these 382 students, totalling $448,571 — an average of $2,289 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Harris County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)