Texas State University
San Marcos, TX · Public · Small city · Carnegie R1/R2 · SWT · SWTSU · Southwest Texas State · Southwest Texas State University · TS · TSU · Texas State · Texas State San Marcos · Texas State University-San Marcos · TxSt · TxState
Public institution in San Marcos, TX · 34,547 undergraduates · 89% acceptance rate · $56,906 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 1%Undergraduates
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $16,438783rd cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $11,450723rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $23,2101,006th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $26,348775th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $21,000751st lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $56,906693rd highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,716747th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 56.2%903rd highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 77.5%801st highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 89.5%1,208th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1093694th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 22604th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 34,54731st largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 21.0:11,930th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 36.1%868th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 27 mi (AUS)
On 2 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $75
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 73 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $67,473 | $68,858 |
| Construction Engineering TechnologiesEngineering Technology | bachelors | $65,796 | $67,660 |
| Industrial EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $63,600 | $65,557 |
| Computer Science | bachelors | $60,920 | $72,274 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $59,350 | $60,207 |
| Manufacturing EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $58,402 | $57,318 |
| Engineering Technology, GeneralEngineering Technology | bachelors | $54,109 | $43,798 |
| PhysicsPhysical Sciences | bachelors | $53,358 | $38,289 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $51,392 | $52,663 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $51,273 | $59,873 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $51,273 | $58,673 |
| MarketingBusiness | bachelors | $47,260 | $46,790 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1899source
- Athletic nickname: "Bobcats"source
- Bobcat Stadium seats about 30,000source
- Competes in NCAA Division Isource
- Mascot: Boko the Bobcatsource
- Motto: "(Latin)"source
- Campus size: about 517 acressource
- Formerly known as "{{collapsible list"source
- Formerly known as "| accreditation = SACS"source
- Formerly known as "| titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;padding-left:0.5em;font-size:100%;"source
- Formerly known as "| liststyle = text-align:left;white-space:nowrap;"source
- Formerly known as "| title = |Southwest Texas State Normal School" (1899–1918)source
- Formerly known as "Southwest Texas State Normal College" (1918–1923)source
- Formerly known as "Southwest Texas State Teachers College" (1923–1959)source
- Formerly known as "Southwest Texas State College" (1959–1969)source
- Formerly known as "Southwest Texas State University" (1969–2003)source
- Formerly known as "Texas State University–San Marcos (2003–2013)}}"source
- Athletic conference: FBSsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A Space grant]] institutionsource
- Football rivalry: I-35 Rivalry (since 2012)source
- Football rivalry: Sam Houston–Texas State (since 1915)source
- Plays for the "Paddle Trophy" (since 1980)source
- 1 Nobel laureate affiliatedsource
- Fight song: ""Go Bobcats!""source
- Notable alum: Lyndon B. Johnsonsource
- Notable alum: Shawn Michaelssource
- Notable alum: George Straitsource
- Notable alum: Powers Boothesource
Athletics — 9 sports
NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $8,120,203 (M $4,737,885 · W $3,382,318)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Texas State University’s 34,547 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In TX
- University of North TexasDenton, TX · 33,680 undergrads
- Texas Tech UniversityLubbock, TX · 32,446 undergrads
- University of HoustonHouston, TX · 37,175 undergrads
- The University of Texas at ArlingtonArlington, TX · 30,834 undergrads
- The University of Texas at San AntonioSan Antonio, TX · 29,675 undergrads
- Dallas CollegeDallas, TX · 41,815 undergrads
Elsewhere
- University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL · 34,623 undergrads
- California State University-Long BeachLong Beach, CA · 34,131 undergrads
- University of FloridaGainesville, FL · 34,102 undergrads
- Miami Dade CollegeMiami, FL · 35,001 undergrads
- Valencia CollegeOrlando, FL · 35,125 undergrads
- University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · 33,787 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitetxst.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 228459)
- Compare colleges in TXRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in TexasEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with University of North TexasSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Texas State University vs University of North TexasHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.