Public · University

Sul Ross State University

Alpine, Texas · Remote town

98.7%
Admit rate
$13,286
Avg net price
30%
Graduation rate
$41,871
Median earnings

Sul Ross State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Alpine, Texas (remote town setting), enrolling 1,396 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicSmall · 1,396 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 99% admitNCAA Division II with football · Lone Star ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Sul Ross State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
98.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
930–1110
Avg GPA (est.)
2.93

Enter a test score to see where you land against Sul Ross State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Sul Ross State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Alpine, Texas

Alpine is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. Because the section of the railroad was called Osborne, that was the name of the small community for a brief time. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
146 miles to Midland, TX
To the ocean
408 miles
Nearest airport
139 miles to Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF)

How Sul Ross State University compares

Selectivity98.7%

More selective than 6% · #71 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average1024

Higher than 11%

Graduation rate30%

Higher than 11% · #72 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention45%

Higher than 4%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,871

Higher than 17% · #80 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$13,286

Cheaper than 80% · #26 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$15,900

Lower than 89%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment1,396

Larger than 47%

Percentiles compare Sul Ross State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Texas.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,890students
  • Undergraduate1,39674%
  • Graduate49426%

Undergraduates by gender

1,396undergrads
  • Women76155%
  • Men63545%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White19%
  • Black8.0%
  • Hispanic68%
  • Other or multiracial4.8%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,396
Graduate enrollment
494
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
58%
First-generation students
46%
Students over 25
26%
Median family income
$26,794
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$71,739
Endowment
$26,466,497

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 223 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas96%
  • Other U.S. states3.1%
  • International1.3%

Most first-years stay in state — Sul Ross State University draws overwhelmingly from Texas.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
98.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
930–1110
SAT average
1024
SAT reading
470–550
SAT math
460–560
ACT composite
15–24
Average GPA (estimated)
2.93

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,592
Out-of-state tuition
$17,672
Room & board
$10,892
Books & supplies
$2,167
Total cost of attendance
$24,529
Average net price
$13,286

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
30%
Graduated on time (4 years)
22%
First-year retention
45%
Transferred to another college
30%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,340
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,871
Median debt at graduation
$15,900
Students with federal loans
41%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
37%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
22%
Low-income (Pell)
21%
First-generation
21%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
671
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
48%
Housing charge (year)
$6,546
Meal plan (year)
$3,784
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Lone Star Conference
Varsity athletes
315 (222 men · 93 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (8)

Football126
Soccer55
Baseball43
Basketball28
Volleyball23
Softball22
Tennis16
Cross Country2

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
14

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (2,384 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

6.7reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year4.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.7
Rape
0.7
Fondling
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$11,110
$30–48k
$11,722
$48–75k
$11,261
$75–110k
$18,596
$110k+
$20,279

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$49,636

$11,261/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

48%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,859
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 48% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,859. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 240 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$41,871
Typical debt at graduation
$15,900
Debt vs. one year's pay
38%
Out-earn a HS grad
56%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$38,833
Men
$45,796

Men out-earn women by $6,963 (18%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
92°F
Winter low
31°F
Annual rain
16.1″
Annual snow
2.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.53.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Alpine, TX US station (1 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Sul Ross State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Sul Ross State University side by side →

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.