Lone Star College, Kingwood respiratory therapy program costs $9,487. Here is how its graduates do.
An AAS program in Kingwood. 86 of its 102 graduates earned the RRT credential over 2022 to 2024.
The short version
- Its RRT credential rate (84.3%) is above the Texas program median of 77.1%.
- 93.1% of graduates looking for work in the field found a job, by CoARC's measure.
- Its published cost is at or below the median for Texas respiratory therapy programs that publish one ($10,000).
- At 10% of the local median wage for respiratory therapists, the program cost is paid back in about 1.2 years.
These lines are generated from the numbers on this page and change when the data does.
How graduates do
CoARC requires every accredited program to publish the same outcome measures, so they can be compared program to program. 4
Graduates who earned the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential, divided by all graduates, as reported to CoARC for a three-year period. Job placement: graduates employed in respiratory care (or continuing their education) within the CoARC reporting period, divided by graduates surveyed.
Where the money goes
The school's estimate, in 5 parts. Sum of the five stated in-district semester totals; the page states no grand total. Additional out-of-pocket items (scrubs, ClinicalTrac, BLS, review courses) are listed separately and not included.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Semester 1 (tuition and fees, textbooks and stethoscope, lab fees, insurance, uniforms, immunizations) | $3,184 |
| Semester 2 | $1,771 |
| Semester 3 | $1,680 |
| Semester 4 | $1,340 |
| Semester 5 (includes $350 exit exams) | $1,512 |
| Total 1 | $9,487 |
* How we calculated this: The sum of the five semester totals the school lists. It does not state a grand total.
Not included: prerequisite courses and living costs. Undated program cost page, in-district.
What respiratory therapists earn around Houston
The median yearly wage for respiratory therapists in the Houston metro area is $80,450. 3 Payback time sets aside 10% of that each year toward the program cost.
Other respiratory therapy programs in the Houston area
| Program | RRT credential rate | Job placement | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston City College AAS, Houston | 93.3% | 96.7% | Not published |
| UTMB MS, Galveston | 90.3% | 100% | $32,594 |
| Lone Star College, Kingwood (this page) AAS, Kingwood | 84.3% | 93.1% | $9,487 |
| Pima Medical Institute, Houston AAS, Houston | 66.7% | 83.3% | $54,358 |
| Alvin Community College AAS, Alvin | 63.9% | 83.3% | $8,441 to $11,549 |
| San Jacinto College, Central AAS, Pasadena | 54.5% | 53.0% | Not published |
| Texas Southern University BS, Houston | 35.0% | 55.0% | Not published |
Program facts
- Credential
- AAS
- Length
- Data coming soon
- Schedule
- Full-time day program and part-time evening program
- Starts
- Day program applications Oct 2 to June 1; evening program June 2 to Oct 1
- Entrance exam
- HSRT (Health Sciences Reasoning Test)
- Accreditation
- CoARC, Accredited (program 200338)
- Leads to
- NBRC credentialing exams (TMC and CSE) for the RRT credential
- Sector
- Public
Sources and dates
- LSC-Kingwood Respiratory Care program cost, Undated program cost page, in-district.
- CoARC program outcomes for Lone Star College, Kingwood, reported July 1, 2025, for Jan. 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2024.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Respiratory Therapists (29-1126), May 2025 estimates.
- Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC), checked Nov. 2026.
Every number was checked against its source on Nov. 4, 2026. Spot an error? Report it. Program Outcomes is independent and not affiliated with any school or CoARC. Our independence policy