Texas State University-San Marcos

Texas State's 38,694 students choose from 97 bachelor’s, 92 master’s and 14 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.

Texas State University is a doctoral-granting, student-centered institution dedicated to excellence and innovation in teaching, research, including creative expression, and service. The university strives to create new knowledge, to embrace a diversity of people and ideas, to foster cultural and economic development, and to prepare its graduates to participate fully and freely as citizens of Texas, the nation, and the world.

With almost 100 bachelor’s degrees, Texas State offers a major that will get you where you want to go. And if you’re not sure where that is yet, we’ll help you figure it out with a great set of resources. Whatever your goals may be, we’ll provide the supportive community and the intellectual challenges that will open the world to you.

Distance education is a formal educational process in which the majority of instruction (interaction between students and instructors and among students) in a course occurs when students and instructors are not in the same place. At Texas State, distance education courses are offered via TRACS, an Internet-based learning management system for delivering course materials, facilitating class discussions, implementing assignments and quizzes, and supporting learning outcomes.

With an enrollment of more than 37,000 Bobcats, we're the fourth-largest public university in Texas. But you wouldn't know we're a big school from visiting our campus. Maybe it's the welcoming environment. Maybe it's the small-town feel of San Marcos. Whatever it is, you'll feel right at home.

Texas State offers nearly 100 bachelor's degrees for students to find their full academic potential. With individualized advising through the Personalized Academic & Career Exploration (PACE) Center or small classes in the Honors College, you are sure to get the attention you need.

Nestled in the Texas Hill Country between Austin and San Antonio, San Marcos is an outdoorsy, easygoing college town. It offers the perfect environment for enjoying life outside the classroom, from studying at a local cafe on the Square to hiking on the city's 250 acres of parkland.

Whether you live on campus or off, getting involved in the campus community will enrich your education experience, making it easy for you to connect with student organizations, attend music, athletic and Common Experience events, participate in Texas State traditions and enjoy life in beautiful San Marcos. Experience college life at its fullest. Campus resources and involvement opportunities are right around the corner.

College is life-changing, and like all pivotal experiences, it can present challenges. You may be away from home for the first time, you'll have new academic and social experiences, and sometimes you might feel overwhelmed. But whenever you need help, we've got your back.

Our campus-wide network of support services empower our students to succeed. Whether you need tutoring, accommodations for disabilities, help selecting classes, career advice, healthcare or counseling, you'll never have to look far.

Counseling Center services are free, confidential, and provided by trained professionals to currently enrolled Texas State students while classes are in session. Counseling Center Services include brief individual, group, and couples counseling, consultation and crisis response, and workshops about coping with stress and other mental health topics.

The Counseling Center provides educational programming to contribute to college student success through a variety of mental health presentations and online resources.

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.

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.