Texas State University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
San Antonio, Texas · Public · Open access · CDS 2024-2025
Texas State University is a public university in San Antonio, Texas that admits about 88% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $11,234 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Psychology, General, Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness and Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 53% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 1.4 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Texas State University is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. For the most recent reporting cycle, Texas State University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 88%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1102 and an ACT composite around 22. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $11,234 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Texas State University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Texas State University?
Texas State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Texas State University weight in admissions?
Texas State University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Interview
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores Texas State University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 490–590, with an EBRW midpoint near 565. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 19–26. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | 1010 |
| 50th percentile | 1110 |
| 75th percentile | 1210 |
| % submitting SAT | 61% |
| 25th percentile | 19 |
| 50th percentile | 23 |
| 75th percentile | 25 |
| % submitting ACT | 7% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 16% |
| Top 25% of class | 55% |
| Top 50% of class | 87% |
| % submitting class rank | 98% |
How much does Texas State University actually cost?
Published tuition is $8,991 for in-state students and $21,965 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $11,843 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $11,234 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 42% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Room and board | — |
| Average net price (after aid) | $11,234 |
| Application fee | $70 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Texas State University
| Regular deadline | 2025-06-01 |
| Notification date | 2025-09-01 |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
Will my child graduate from Texas State University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Texas State University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Texas State University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Psychology, General, Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness and Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Across all programs, Texas State University confers roughly 2,760 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Psychology, General program report a median income of about $46,322 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology, General | 532 | $46,322 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 417 | $56,195 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 356 | $87,709 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 345 | $62,394 |
| Biology, General | 308 | $55,482 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 296 | $50,189 |
| Marketing | 260 | $58,952 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 246 | $107,090 |
Is Texas State University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Texas State University disclosed 42 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 1.4 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 2 violent offenses and 19 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Texas State University?
About 11% of undergraduates at Texas State University live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 2% of men join a fraternity and 4% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Texas parents ask about
- Rice University29% acceptance
- University of Texas at Austin63% acceptance
- Texas A&M University-College Station8% acceptance
- Southern Methodist University89% acceptance
- Baylor University85% acceptance
- Texas Christian University71% acceptance
- University of Houston97% acceptance
- University of North Texas100% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Texas State University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Texas State University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Texas State University
What GPA do I need for Texas State University?
Texas State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Texas State University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 490–590, with an EBRW midpoint near 565. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 19–26.
How much does Texas State University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Texas State University after grants and scholarships is $11,234 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Texas State University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Texas State University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Texas State University?
Texas State University accepts about 88% of applicants out of roughly 25,422 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Texas State University test-optional?
Yes. Texas State University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Texas State University?
About 53% of students at Texas State University graduate within six years, and 32% finish in four years. 80% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Texas State University look for in applicants?
Texas State University rates course rigor, class rank and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Texas State University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Texas State University is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas.
What are the most popular majors at Texas State University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Texas State University by annual graduates are Psychology, General, Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness and Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. The school awards about 2,760 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Texas State University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Texas State University reported 42 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 1.4 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Texas State University?
At Texas State University, 11% of undergraduates live on campus, 2% of men are in fraternities, 4% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Texas State University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.