Prospective Students
About Texas State
Educational Excellence
Texas State's 38,694 students choose from 98 bachelor’s, 91 master’s and 13 doctoral degree programs offered by the following colleges: Applied Arts, McCoy College of Business Administration, Education, Fine Arts and Communication, Health Professions, Liberal Arts, Science and Engineering, University College and The Graduate College. As an Emerging Research University, Texas State offers opportunities for discovery and innovation to faculty and students.
Our students come from around the globe, and our student body is diverse. Fifty-two percent of Texas State students are ethnic minorities. Texas State ranks 14th in the nation for total bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanic students. See the Facts and Data page for more information on our student body.
Texas State is proud to be a tobacco-free campus.
Locations
Texas State's San Marcos campus is located in a growing community of 60,000 people in the Austin Metropolitan Area. Located in the Texas Hill Country, where blackland prairies roll into beautiful hills, Texas State enjoys a setting that is unique among Texas universities.
The beauty of the crystal-clear San Marcos River and the stately cypress and oak trees on the campus add to the charm of the university’s picturesque setting. Our location on the banks of the San Marcos River provides recreational activities for students throughout the year.
The Texas State Round Rock Campus is located north of Austin. Students there can take upper-level courses leading to bachelor’s degrees and complete master’s degree and certificate programs. Students who complete their degree requirements at the Round Rock Campus earn their degrees from Texas State University.
You can find more complete information about Texas State’s Round Rock Campus in these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
San Marcos Campus
As the university's student population has grown — from 303 in 1903 to 38,694 in 2017 — our San Marcos campus also has expanded. Today, the campus has grown to 491 acres. Texas State has an additional 4,000 acres of academic, agricultural, research and recreational areas.
The Texas State campus is as diverse as the students who live and learn here. Our hilly grounds are home to 209 buildings. Some, like Old Main, are as old as the university itself. Others, such as the Angelina and San Gabriel residence halls, opened in 2016, and more new buildings are scheduled for completion soon.
At The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment on the Texas State campus, you can see the second-largest springs in Texas through the floor of a glass-bottom boat or glass-bottom kayak. These springs feed the San Marcos River and are home to eight endangered species, including the Texas blind salamander. Our campus is one of the best places in the world to study aquatic ecosystems and species.
Campus Livestream
View a livestream of our beautiful campus!
History
Authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1899, Southwest Texas State Normal School opened its doors in 1903. Over the years, the Legislature broadened the institution's scope and changed its name, in succession, to Southwest Texas State Normal College, Southwest Texas State Teachers College, Southwest Texas State College, Southwest Texas State University, and in 2003 to Texas State University. Each name reflects the university's growth from a small teacher preparation institution to a major, multipurpose university. Texas State's original mission was to prepare Texas public school teachers. It became renowned for carrying out this mission, but today it does far more.