Fortis Institute
For-profit College in Houston, TX. Six-year graduation rate 67%. Median 10-year earnings $33,193.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $33,193, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. 68% graduate within six years, so most students who start here finish here. 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 0.29 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
A 68% six-year graduation rate is the strongest academic signal on this page. First-year retention is 73% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. The student-faculty ratio is 22:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major. As a for-profit two-year institution, outcomes here deserve a harder look than the sector average suggests: for-profit institutions vary enormously, and the sector's aggregate numbers hide both strong and very weak performers. At 638 undergraduates, expect a small, closely-held student body.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 638 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $18,473 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Income makes less difference than usual: $17,756 at $0–30k, $24,474 at $110k+. About 79% get grants averaging $5,998, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Most students borrow — 68% take federal loans to cover the gap.
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 · 234 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 | $17,756 |
| $30–48k | $18,593 |
| $48–75k | $20,258 |
| $75–110k | $20,199 |
| $110k+ | $24,474 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 431 of these 638 students, totalling $3,330,453 — an average of $7,727 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)