Public
Accredited · Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Pasadena, Texas
San Jacinto Community College — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
$14,990Annual Cost
$43,062Grad Salary
30.3%Pell Grant
Selectivity
Open Enrollment
Institution Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
Accredited By
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
SAT Middle 50%
-40–30
Avg Net Price
$7,540
Need-Based Aid
30.3% receive Pell
San Jacinto Community College serves the Houston area with five locations. Established in 1961, it offers maritime, petrochemical and healthcare programs.
The college features a 42-acre Maritime Technology Center. San Jacinto maintains strong ties to the Port of Houston industries.
San Jacinto Community College Acceptance Rate
San Jacinto Community College (San Jacinto College) runs an open-access admission policy — with a 100% acceptance rate, the focus is on getting qualified students in, not filtering them out.
What to Expect
- Eligibility First: A high school diploma or GED typically clears the main bar.
- Plan Ahead for Placement: Placement tests can shape which courses you start in — worth preparing for.
Selectivity at a Glance
Open Enrollment
Selectivity scale: Open Enrollment — rate not reported
Most Selective (0%)Open Enrollment (100%)
Slightly below-average GPA? A strong test score or clear leadership track record can still keep you competitive.
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard (Nov 2025).
San Jacinto Community College Application Deadlines & Admission Dates 2026
San Jacinto Community College follows a Rolling Admissions policy, meaning applications are reviewed as they arrive and there is no single fixed deadline.
Key Admission Dates
Rolling Admissions — Apply Anytime
San Jacinto College reviews applications continuously throughout the year. Seats and scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so applying early gives you a significant advantage for both admission and financial aid.
💡 The scholarship deadline (FAFSA Priority: 2026/03/15) often falls before the regular admission deadline. Submit your application and FAFSA early to be considered for maximum aid.
Deadlines are verified from official institutional sources but may change each cycle. Always confirm final dates on the official website.
Check Your Admission Chances at San Jacinto College
Admission Chance Predictor
Real-Time Sensitive Analysis — based on San Jacinto Community College's verified institutional data
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Calculating Profile...
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
Your SAT Score 1200
Your Unweighted GPA 3.00
⚠️ Note: Predicting based on regional averages as this institution does not publicly report full score datasets.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
San Jacinto Community College (San Jacinto College) Test Requirements
Standardized scores still matter here: aim for the middle 50% range of the 2026 admitted class below, and if San Jacinto College is test-optional, a high score submitted voluntarily still helps with merit scholarships.
Can I Get Into San Jacinto College Without SAT or ACT?
San Jacinto College's test-score policy isn't published. As a default, submit your score only if it's at or above the state/national average — a below-average score can work against you.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for San Jacinto College
Inclusive Strategy: Success & Transfer
San Jacinto College provides an open gateway to higher education. Success here is about using available resources well and planning your longer-term academic or career path.
The LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, and Technology Is a Credential Gateway Into Houston's Industrial Corridor - Not a Generic Workforce Program
San Jacinto College operates the $60 million LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, and Technology (CPET) - a 151,000 sq. ft. facility purpose-built to train the workforce for the largest petrochemical complex in the United States, located immediately adjacent to the college's East Harris County campuses. Programs in Process Technology, Instrumentation/Analyzer Technology, Electrical Technology, Non-Destructive Testing, Environmental Health and Safety Technology, and Welding are co-designed with an industry advisory council of plant managers and executives from companies including LyondellBasell, INEOS, Emerson, Dow, Covestro, and Eaton. Students train on live equipment - including a working glycol distillation unit and 31 specialized labs replicating actual refinery environments - and are placed into entry-level and incumbent worker pipelines with 90 industries and 130 plants in the region. For students targeting the energy sector, CPET credentials carry direct employer recognition that generic technical certificates do not.
Houston GPS Makes Transfer Planning Structural From Day One - Declare Your University Target in the First Semester
San Jacinto College is a founding partner in Houston Guided Pathways to Success (Houston GPS), a regional transfer initiative that connects community college students to specific degree maps at partner universities including the University of Houston system, Texas State, and others. Houston GPS provides proactive advisors, degree maps that show exactly which San Jac courses transfer to which university degree requirements, and structured schedules designed around working students. The critical action is declaring a transfer target university in the first semester - not after 30 hours of coursework - so every course chosen from the beginning maps cleanly to the specific bachelor's degree program at the intended destination. San Jacinto students who use Houston GPS pathways graduate with fewer excess credits and less debt than students who plan informally; the degree maps are specific enough to tell a student taking Biology 1406 vs. 1408 which version transfers for pre-nursing vs. pre-medicine at their target school.
Selective Health Sciences Programs Operate Entirely Outside Open Enrollment - Understand the Competitive Ranking System Early
San Jacinto's nursing and allied health programs are among the most sought-after in Greater Houston, but they operate on separate competitive admissions with ranking formulas, prerequisite GPA cutoffs, and application cycles that are entirely independent of the college's open-enrollment status. The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program ranks applicants using a formula that weights prerequisite GPA, number of degree-plan courses completed, TEAS exam scores, and accumulated review points - meaning a student who applies unsuccessfully in one cycle can bank review points toward the next. The RN-to-BSN program (one of San Jac's four bachelor's degrees, fully online, designed for working RNs) has its own additional admission requirements including active Texas RN licensure and current nursing employment. Students aiming for any health sciences pathway should identify their target program in the first semester, download the current prerequisite list, and treat every prerequisite GPA point as a ranking asset from day one.
San Jac's Bachelor's Degrees and Biotechnology Partnerships Open Non-Transfer Workforce Tracks to Four-Year Credentials
San Jacinto College now offers four bachelor's degrees designed for working professionals already holding relevant associate degrees: the RN-to-BSN (registered nurses with an ADN), Bachelor of Applied Science in Education with Early Childhood emphasis (paraeducators/early childhood educators with an AAS), Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity, and a fourth program launched in spring 2026. These are not transfer pathways - they are terminal degrees earned entirely at San Jac, at community college tuition rates, in cohort-based formats designed for employed adults. Additionally, San Jac's Center for Biotechnology formalized a 2023 partnership with the National Institute for Biomanufacturing Research and Training (NIBRT), launching onboarding programs for biomanufacturing technicians starting in 2024 - positioning San Jac as a credentialing hub for the biomanufacturing sector expanding in the Houston region alongside petrochemicals.
Expert Insight:
The most persistent failure pattern at San Jacinto involves students who enroll with a transfer goal - typically the University of Houston or Texas A&M - and select courses based on general transferability rather than a specific degree plan at a specific university. "It transfers to UH" is not the same as "it applies toward the Mechanical Engineering degree plan at UH." San Jac's course equivalency guides and Houston GPS degree maps make program-specific planning possible from semester one, but students who never meet with a transfer specialist or declare their university and major target early frequently arrive at their transfer application with 18 credits that apply nowhere specific, forcing them to take additional semesters. With five campuses and rolling open enrollment, there is no structural urgency to plan early - which is exactly why the students who don't plan early are the ones who end up spending an extra year at the college.
San Jacinto College Profile
Full Name
San Jacinto Community College (San Jacinto College)
City
Pasadena
State
Texas
ZIP Code
77505
Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
Official Website
Accredited By
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCC)
Is a San Jacinto College Degree Worth It?
Whether San Jacinto College is worth it depends less on its reputation and more on your program choice, financial aid package, and career goals — here's the data to weigh it against.
The average household income among admitted students is $61,500, with a graduate unemployment rate of 4.31%.
How much does a degree from San Jacinto College Cost?
The sticker price is $14,990/year, but the average net price students actually pay — after Pell and federal grants — is closer to $7,540.
30.3% of students receive a Pell Grant and 2.3% take federal loans at San Jacinto College — file your FAFSA early and list San Jacinto College as a choice to be considered for both.
How much does a San Jacinto College Graduate earn?
Median earnings 10 years after enrollment (roughly 4–6 years post-graduation) are $43,062 — about 6% above the U.S. median graduate income.
Degree Programs at San Jacinto College
Associate Degree Programs
Frequently Asked Questions About San Jacinto College Admissions
Median earnings for San Jacinto Community College graduates sit around $43,062 a year.
At about $14,990 a year, San Jacinto Community College is on the more affordable end.
About 30.3% receive a Pell Grant at San Jacinto Community College — moderate odds, largely income-dependent, but an early FAFSA filing still helps.
San Jacinto Community College follows Rolling Admissions — applications are reviewed year-round, so applying early is your best strategy.
The scholarship/financial aid priority deadline is FAFSA Priority: 2026/03/15. Submit FAFSA before then for maximum consideration.
Yes — transfers are common. Have transcripts, recommendation letters, and a solid personal statement ready to make your case.
Strong academics, a focused extracurricular profile, and standout essays move the needle most — along with a competitive SAT/ACT score where relevant.