Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX
What are your chances of getting into Sam Houston State University?
Sam Houston State University is a large public university in Huntsville, just south of downtown, with a practical, student-centered feel and a strong emphasis on access, service, and career preparation. It is especially known for criminal justice, where the program has long-standing national visibility, and it also has notable strength in nursing, business, psychology, and other professionally oriented fields. The campus is sizable and spread across a broad footprint, but the main academic core is walkable and supported by a lively student-life scene with Greek life, clubs, athletics, and frequent campus events. SHSU tends to attract students who want a traditional college experience without the intensity or cost of a highly selective flagship, and who value accessible professors and lots of ways to get involved. The academic culture is generally hands-on and career-focused rather than highly theoretical, which suits students who want clear pathways into jobs or graduate study. Students who thrive here are often self-motivated, community-oriented, and comfortable in a school that feels active and friendly but not urban or elite.
Calculate your chances at Sam Houston State University
Enter your GPA and test scores, add other schools, and see where you stand instantly.
Your Academic Profile
Estimates based on admitted-student data. Real decisions also weigh essays, recommendations, and course rigor.
Your results
Enter your GPA to see your academic score.
Your chances map appears here once you enter a GPA and add colleges.
Strengths
- Strong reputation in criminal justice and other career-focused majors
- Large selection of student organizations and campus involvement opportunities
- Public-university access with a relatively high admit rate
- Good fit for students seeking a practical, supportive environment
Things to weigh
- Huntsville is a small town, so off-campus entertainment and city amenities are limited
- The campus and student body are large enough that some students may need to be proactive to find their community
- Selectivity is relatively low, so academically ambitious applicants may want to compare honors and specialized options
- The school’s strengths are concentrated in applied and professional fields, which may be less appealing to students seeking a more research-intensive or highly selective academic culture
Frequently asked questions
How hard is it to get into Sam Houston State University?+
Sam Houston State University admits about 90% of applicants, and the middle 50% of admitted students score between 930 and 1120 on the SAT. Enter your GPA and test scores above and this calculator estimates your personal chances in seconds, and tells you whether Sam Houston State University is a safety, match, or reach for your profile.
Is this the most accurate college admissions calculator?+
Counselly's chances calculator runs on real, current admissions data, the actual admit rates and SAT/ACT ranges colleges report to the U.S. Department of Education, not averages scraped from forums. Our algorithm weighs your GPA, test scores, and extracurricular strength against each school's admitted-student profile the way an admissions reader would begin, which makes it one of the most reliable free tools for seeing where you'll get into college.
How does the calculator predict my chances of getting in?+
It compares your academic profile to each college's real admitted class. We look at where your GPA and test scores fall within a school's 25th to 75th percentile range, combine that with the school's overall admit rate, and factor in your extracurricular strength, then translate it into a clear percentage and a Safety, Match, or Reach label. Everything recalculates instantly as you add schools or adjust your stats.
What counts as a good chance of getting into a college?+
Roughly above 60% is a Safety, you're comfortably ahead of the typical admitted student. Around 30 to 60% is a Match, realistic and worth prioritizing. Below 30% is a Reach, still absolutely worth applying to if it's a dream school. The strongest college lists balance all three, and Counselly helps you build exactly that kind of list.
Which colleges can I check my admission chances for?+
Hundreds of US colleges and universities, from Ivy League schools to large public flagships to smaller private colleges. Just start typing, MIT, UCLA, NYU, Michigan, and pick from the suggestions. We're continuously expanding our data, and your free assessment goes even further, matching you to programs across the country based on your full profile.
Can a calculator really tell me where I will get accepted?+
No tool can promise an outcome, and you should be cautious of any that claims to. What Counselly does exceptionally well is show you, honestly and instantly, exactly where you stand academically at each college, so you can build a smart, balanced list instead of guessing. Your essays, recommendations, and story do the rest, and your free assessment is built to help you strengthen all of them.
Is the college chances calculator free?+
Completely free, and no signup is required to use it. When you're ready to go further, your full assessment, the complete list of colleges where you're a strong fit plus a step-by-step plan to raise your odds, is also free to unlock with an account.
