A Century of Opportunity

From Night School to Tier One, UH Marks 100 Years of Opening Doors and Changing Lives

Story by Kelly Schafler | Design by Marcus Allen

In the last century, the University of Houston has evolved from a grassroots night school into a Tier One research institution, all while maintaining its core mission of providing affordable, accessible higher education opportunities to all Houstonians, including working-class and first-generation students.

Today, this legacy takes center stage as the University celebrates its Centennial, honoring 100 years of institutional grit, innovation and community impact.

In 1927, higher education options for graduating high school students were highly limited and cost prohibitive. Local students could either attempt to gain entry into Houston’s only alternative at the time — the highly selective, private Rice Institute — or leave the city altogether. Both pathways presented steep barriers for working-class families.

Responding directly to local demand, Houston ISD Superintendent Edison Ellsworth Oberholtzer launched Houston Junior College in June 1927. Proving the deep need for an accessible local institution, 41% of the inaugural class stated they would not have attended college at all if not for the new school.

Initial classes were held at San Jacinto High School and briefly at the Second Baptist Church to keep operational costs low. Night classes in the high school cafeteria offered young adults a vital pathway: the opportunity to work a full day to support themselves and attend classes after hours.

Driven by this profound hunger for education, student enrollment expanded rapidly from just 460 in the summer of 1927 to 919 students by 1934.

A black and white photo of a man walking in front of a building with windows, surrounded by trees and plants, with a clear sky in the background. — The University of Houston, pictured here in 1935, began as Houston Junior College in June 1927, with students attending evening classes in the San Jacinto High School building on Holman Avenue.

The University of Houston, pictured here in 1935, began as Houston Junior College in June 1927, with students attending evening classes in the San Jacinto High School building on Holman Avenue.

"That enrollment growth tells us that students were interested in higher education, and they were going to take classes wherever they could get them."

—Debbie Harwell, Dept. of History

Archival images of The Cougar newspaper — An individual manually setting type on a printing plate for The Cougar.

An individual manually setting type on a printing plate for The Cougar.

“That enrollment growth tells us that students were interested in higher education, and they were going to take classes wherever they could get them,” said Debbie Harwell, instructional associate professor in the Department of History and editor of Houston History Magazine. “If that meant they had to go to San Jacinto High School, or they had to go to church or wherever for their classes to meet, they were willing to do that.”

This student-driven enthusiasm extended beyond the classroom into campus life. Despite lacking a permanent physical campus, students in the early 1930s actively launched The Cougar newspaper and even fielded an ice hockey team.

“Those kinds of things really show the enthusiasm that students had in those very early years for the University,” Harwell said.

"Those kinds of things really show the enthusiasm that students had in those very early years for the University."

—Debbie Harwell, Dept. of History

Building a Foundation

The institution officially transitioned into a four-year university in June 1934. Recognizing its immense potential, philanthropists Ben Taub and the J.J. Settegast estate donated 110 acres of land to provide the University with its first permanent home. Soon after, philanthropist Hugh Roy Cullen donated the funds necessary to construct the campus’s foundational building in 1939: the Roy Gustav Cullen Building, dedicated in honor of his late son.

Cullen’s mandate to the University's leadership was clear and unyielding:

“I only have one condition in making this gift. The University of Houston must always be a college for working men and women and their sons and daughters. If it were to be another rich man’s college, I wouldn’t be interested,” Cullen said to Reverend F.B. Thorn, pastor of the Second Baptist Church.

This working-class DNA remains fully alive. Today, almost 42% of UH’s first-year, full-time students are federal Pell Grant recipients — reflecting the University's ongoing role as a vital gateway for all students, including families striving for upward mobility. The University distributes more than $114.5 million in Pell Grant funding annually.

Time and again, through every era of crisis and transformation, UH didn’t just adapt to the changing times — it rose to meet them with trademark tenacity and resolve.

During and immediately following World War II, the University served as a vital military training center, educating Navy mechanics, radio operators and pilots to support the war effort. By 1946, as thousands of returning GIs entered civilian life under the GI Bill, campus enrollment surged to 10,000 students.

To directly fuel Houston's booming post-war workforce needs, the University rapidly established its programs in architecture, pharmacy, law and business.

By the 1960s, realizing the University could no longer financially sustain its massive growth as a private entity, UH President Philip Hoffman launched a successful push to enter the state system.

His wish was granted in 1963 when the Texas Legislature made UH a state university. The impact on students was immediate. Tuition dropped to $4 per semester credit hour and enrollment, once again, surged.

UH admitted its first Black students in 1962. Two years later, under the leadership of football coach Bill Yeoman and basketball coach Guy Lewis, UH broke historical barriers by becoming the first predominantly white major university in the South to integrate its intercollegiate athletic program.

“There had been a tremendous amount of resistance to integration by previous presidents,” Harwell said. “However, Philip Hoffman came from a different background. He had gone to school at integrated campuses, so he was not opposed to that concept. And he helped bring that about here at the University of Houston.”

Two women in white lab coats and blue gloves working in a laboratory. One of the women is holding a pipette and a bottle, while the other is holding an object. There is a blue bucket in front of them, and various objects on the table. The background is blurred, and there are lights on the ceiling.

Pharmacy Professor Meghna Trivedi and students working in their lab in the Health 2 building.

A group of men playing a game of basketball in a black and white setting. The man in the center of the image is holding a ball in his hands, while the other players are standing around him. In the background, there are people sitting in the stands, watching the game.

UH athlete Elvin Hayes and Lew Alcindor mid-jump during the "Game of the Century" at the Houston Astrodome in 1968.

A black background with the word "100" in the middle, surrounded by trees and a building in the background. The resolution of the image is 1920x1080., image

An aerial view of a large building with a red roof, surrounded by trees, plants, grass, street poles, street lights, motor vehicles on the road, and buildings with windows., image

Keeping the Promise
of Opportunity

Throughout its rapid transformation, UH deliberately went against the mold of traditional state institutions. Leadership consistently prioritized flexible schedules, affordable tuition and a public-welfare mandate. Today, that unwavering commitment provides a launchpad for individuals of all backgrounds — with first-generation students accounting for 40.5% of the undergraduate student body.

Harwell highlights a clear line of continuity connecting modern first-generation students to the working-class pioneers of the 1920s: a deep sense of familial obligation matched by a fierce drive to maximize every opportunity.

Year after year, the University channels its resources directly into student success, ensuring hard work translates into a distinct professional advantage for graduates. UH is consistently ranked among the nation’s best universities by U.S. News & World Report for successfully moving its students up the social mobility ladder.

According to the spring 2026 outcomes data from the U.S. Department of Education’s “College Scorecard,” UH alumni enter the professional landscape with a clear financial advantage. Four years after graduation, former UH students who received financial aid report a median annual income of $68,091 — outpacing the national average for four-year institutions ($60,428) and placing UH among the top five public universities in Texas for median earnings.

This exceptional return on investment has earned significant national praise. Citing excellent career outcomes and limited student debt, Forbes ranked UH No. 43 among public universities nationwide on its "America’s Top Colleges" list. UH also ranked among the top 50 public universities in The Princeton Review’s list of “Best Value Colleges,” highlighting UH’s strong academics, affordable cost and outstanding career outcomes for graduates.

Outstanding earning potential, however, is only one side of the success equation; maintaining low upfront costs is equally vital. In May 2026, UH officially launched My Total Cost Planner, an intuitive in-house resource that integrates accepted financial aid packages with real-world student choices to give incoming families a completely transparent, personalized breakdown of college costs.

A College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences student smiles at a spring 2023 commencement ceremony.

A College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences student smiles at a spring 2023 commencement ceremony.

UH students stand during a graduation ceremong — College of Medicine students during a UH graduation commencement in spring 2026.

College of Medicine students during a UH graduation commencement in spring 2026.

"These numbers prove that UH is delivering on its core promise: keeping upfront costs accessible while setting our students up for top-tier earning potential and leadership in their fields."

—Diane Z. Chase, UH vice president for academic affairs and provost

Diane Z. Chase stands at a podium during a UH graduation — Diane Z. Chase speaks at a spring 2024 graduation ceremony.

Diane Z. Chase speaks at a spring 2024 graduation ceremony.

“Higher education should be an engine of economic mobility, not a lifelong debt burden,” said Diane Z. Chase , UH vice president for academic affairs and provost. “These numbers prove that UH is delivering on its core promise: keeping upfront costs accessible while setting our students up for top-tier earning potential and leadership in their fields.”

Through her extensive work recording oral histories, Harwell observes that UH alumni now span every single layer of Houston’s regional workforce — from hospitality staff to energy executives. Ultimately, she believes that Houston's distinct civic trademark of being an open, welcoming meritocracy is perfectly mirrored by its flagship university.

“I see Houston as a city that is very accepting of a wide variety of people, and I think that's mirrored at the University of Houston,” Harwell said. “Those are people who have enriched Houston, and that enriches our campus community as well as our regional community.”

No. 43

UH's ranking among public universities nationwide on Forbes' list of "America's Best Colleges"

A large building with a clock tower on top of it, surrounded by trees and light poles, with a clear blue sky in the background. In the center of the image, there is a watermark., image

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