Public · University

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas · Small city

89.3%
Admit rate
$16,805
Avg net price
55%
Graduation rate
$56,906
Median earnings

Texas State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in San Marcos, Texas (small city setting), enrolling 36,177 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 36,177 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 89% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Sun Belt Conference

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
89.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
980–1200
Avg GPA (est.)
3.16

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

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

About San Marcos, Texas

San Marcos is a city in and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. Archeologists have found evidence at the San Marcos River associated with the Clovis culture, which suggests that the river has been the site of human habitation for more than 10,000 years. The San Marcos Springs are the third-largest collection of springs in Texas. In December 2013, it was named number 9 on the Business Insider list of the "10 Most Exciting Small Cities in America." (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
29 miles to Austin, TX
To the ocean
112 miles
Nearest airport
27 miles to Austin Bergstrom (AUS) · major hub

How Texas State University compares

Selectivity89.3%

More selective than 26% · #47 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average1103

Higher than 32%

Graduation rate55%

Higher than 51% · #26 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention80%

Higher than 63%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$56,906

Higher than 59% · #34 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$16,805

Cheaper than 64% · #41 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$21,000

Lower than 67%

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 8%

Undergraduate enrollment36,177

Larger than 99%

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

Texas State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

40,615students
  • Undergraduate36,17789%
  • Graduate4,43811%

Undergraduates by gender

36,177undergrads
  • Women21,73560%
  • Men14,44240%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White36%
  • Black9.5%
  • Hispanic41%
  • Asian2.8%
  • Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
36,177
Graduate enrollment
4,438
Student–faculty ratio
21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
37%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
8%
Median family income
$42,889
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$82,674
Endowment
$411,758,097

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 7,930 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas97%
  • Other U.S. states2.1%
  • International1.3%

Most first-years stay in state — Texas 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
89.3%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
980–1200
SAT average
1103
SAT reading
500–610
SAT math
480–590
ACT composite
19–25
Average GPA (estimated)
3.16

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,450
Out-of-state tuition
$22,930
Room & board
$12,630
Books & supplies
$760
Total cost of attendance
$28,073
Average net price
$16,805

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)
55%
Graduated on time (4 years)
34%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,716
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$56,906
Median debt at graduation
$21,000
Students with federal loans
41%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
51%

About 22% 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
34%
Low-income (Pell)
53%
First-generation
51%

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
6,753
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
19%
Housing charge (year)
$7,661
Meal plan (year)
$4,570
Application fee
$75
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Sun Belt Conference
Varsity athletes
496 (281 men · 215 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 (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)203
Football120
Baseball40
Soccer32
Basketball28
Softball26
Golf19
Volleyball18
Tennis10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
256
Property offenses (2022–2024)
142

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (40,674 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.

133reported offenses a year
85 violent a year47 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
32
Burglary
31
Aggravated assault
31
Fondling
21
Motor vehicle theft
15
Robbery
1.7
Arson
1.0

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
$12,715
$30–48k
$13,557
$48–75k
$13,804
$75–110k
$20,028
$110k+
$24,713

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
$63,340

$13,804/year × about 4.6 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.

41%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,263
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 41% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,263. 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 7,307 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)
$56,906
Typical debt at graduation
$21,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
69%

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
$53,776
Men
$63,051

Men out-earn women by $9,275 (17%) 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
97°F
Winter low
39°F
Annual rain
36.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°110°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Marcos, TX US station (0.5 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 Texas State University

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

Colleges near Texas 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.