Public · University

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas · Remote town

89.5%
Admit rate
$20,783
Avg net price
48%
Graduation rate
$53,040
Median earnings

Tarleton State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Stephenville, Texas (remote town setting), enrolling 12,673 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 12,673 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 90% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Atlantic Sun ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
89.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
980–1160
Avg GPA (est.)
3.09

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

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

About Stephenville, Texas

Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. Stephenville is founded by and named after John M. Stephen, who settled there in 1854, and donated the land for the townsite laid out by George B. Erath when the county was organized in 1856. In the first two years of its settlement, the population increased to 776. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
253 miles
Nearest airport
40 miles to Mineral Wells (MWL)

How Tarleton State University compares

Selectivity89.5%

More selective than 25% · #48 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average1075

Higher than 21%

Graduation rate48%

Higher than 36% · #45 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention70%

Higher than 30%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$53,040

Higher than 47% · #53 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$20,783

Cheaper than 47% · #54 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$19,606

Lower than 76%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 10%

Undergraduate enrollment12,673

Larger than 91%

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

Tarleton State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

14,852students
  • Undergraduate12,67385%
  • Graduate2,17915%

Undergraduates by gender

12,673undergrads
  • Women8,19265%
  • Men4,48135%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White63%
  • Black5.7%
  • Hispanic24%
  • Asian1.4%
  • Other or multiracial5.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
12,673
Graduate enrollment
2,179
Student–faculty ratio
20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
42%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$40,809
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$75,051
Endowment
$112,156,504

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 2,702 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

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

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

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
89.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
980–1160
SAT average
1075
SAT reading
500–590
SAT math
480–570
ACT composite
19–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.09

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,302
Out-of-state tuition
$18,142
Room & board
$10,920
Books & supplies
$1,248
Total cost of attendance
$24,100
Average net price
$20,783

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)
48%
Graduated on time (4 years)
33%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
29%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,729
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$53,040
Median debt at graduation
$19,606
Students with federal loans
40%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
49%

About 15% 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
33%
Low-income (Pell)
51%
First-generation
52%

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
4,202
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
33%
Housing charge (year)
$6,378
Meal plan (year)
$4,468
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Atlantic Sun Conference
Varsity athletes
526 (302 men · 224 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 (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)214
Football128
Baseball41
Basketball33
Softball30
Soccer27
Volleyball19
Golf15
Beach Volleyball11
Tennis8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
26
Property offenses (2022–2024)
21

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (17,433 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.

16reported offenses a year
8.7 violent a year7.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
6.3
Motor vehicle theft
4.0
Burglary
2.7
Aggravated assault
1.3
Fondling
0.7
Robbery
0.3
Arson
0.3

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
$15,574
$30–48k
$16,980
$48–75k
$20,396
$75–110k
$23,466
$110k+
$24,076

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
$91,243

$20,396/year × about 4.5 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.

80%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,770
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 80% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,770. 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 2,247 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)
$53,040
Typical debt at graduation
$19,606
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
66%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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
$49,370
Men
$60,964

Men out-earn women by $11,594 (23%) 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
98°F
Winter low
31°F
Annual rain
34.1″
Annual snow
0.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°70°110°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Stephenville, TX US station (1.2 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 Tarleton State University

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

Colleges near Tarleton State University

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.