As the region’s largest provider of comprehensive university services, from the baccalaureate to the doctorate, the University of Houston System plays an essential role in meeting the higher education needs of the Houston metropolitan area and Texas. The UH System serves more than 70,400 students and has an annual budget that exceeds $2.8 billion.

The UH System includes the University of Houston, UH-Clear Lake, and UH-Downtown, and campuses in Katy, Northwest Houston, Pearland and Sugar Land. Also at the University of Houston is Houston Public Media, home to KUHT-TV8, Houston’s PBS station and the nation’s first educational television station; KUHF-88.7, Houston’s National Public Radio station; and KUHF 88.7 HD-2, Houston’s digital classical music stream.

University of Houston

The largest university in Houston and one of the largest in the state, UH is a nationally competitive, comprehensive research university offering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, distance and continuing education studies programs. The oldest of the UH System universities, it is the flagship of the UH System. UH is recognized as a Tier One institution by the Carnegie Foundation for its high level of research activity.

University of Houston-Clear Lake

Nestled on a 524-acre wildlife and nature preserve near NASA’s Johnson Space Center, UH-Clear Lake offers more than 80 degree programs across four colleges. Founded in 1974, the University expanded from an upper-level and graduate institution into a full four-year university in 2014, and has an alumni base of more than 83,000.

University of Houston-Downtown

The second-largest university in Houston, the University of Houston-Downtown is a four-year institution located in the central business district, providing valuable opportunities for student internships and service-learning opportunities. Founded in 1974, the University of Houston-Downtown is a robust university in the country's fourth-largest city with nearly 14,000 students and more than 73,000 alumni. The modern campus is located on the northern edge of Houston's central business district at the confluence of Buffalo and White Oak bayous.

Understanding the UH System Structure

• The UH System is comprised of three SEPARATE universities, each with its own budget: UH, UHCL, UHD.
• Renu Khator has a dual role as chancellor of the UH System and president of UH. The UHS Board of Regents oversees all three universities.
• Students within the UH System do not take classes at other UHS universities unless they are co-enrolled in two separate universities.
• All three UHS universities operate additional locations where they offer students classes taught by their respective faculty, as charted below. These are instructional sites; they are not universities.