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Texas State University: Jefferson Davis Highway marker at Texas State
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National university

#9 Best colleges for social work in Texas

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $16,805 a year

Median debt at graduation: $21,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Campus tour

TXST Campus Tour: Speedrunning Edition · From the college’s official YouTube channel. Plays from YouTube when you tap it.

Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In Texas

Academic Excellence

B-Academic Excellence: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.55%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.80%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,103 · ACT 22
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.21 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$6,786

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$12,715
$30,001–$48,000$13,557
$48,001–$75,000$13,804
$75,001–$110,000$20,028
Over $110,000$24,713

Full cost of attendance before aid: $28,073 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
34,547
Men and women
Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Men 41% · Women 59%
First-generation students
Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition
36%
First-year students from another state
Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS)
2%
Total students38,722
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$16,805
Cost of attendance (per year)$28,073
Median federal debt at graduation$21,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
55%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
60%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
58%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard)
57%
First-year retention80%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$56,906
Admission rate89%
Application fee
Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS)
$75
Students receiving Pell grants37%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 980–1200ACT 19–25
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1103
SAT reading & writing500–610
SAT math480–590
ACT composite19–25
Test policyRequired

Value: Very good · Top 27% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Computer science$104,127
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician$100,352
Electrical engineering$94,780
Industrial Engineering$90,729
Manufacturing Engineering$88,995
Nursing$84,557
Allied health$79,289
Engineering Technologies/Technicians$78,671
Accounting$78,418
Computing and information science$77,701
Finance$75,100
Managerial economics$74,435
Applied mathematics$72,464
Economics$71,739
Marketing$71,539
Agriculture$71,237
Clinical laboratory science$68,940
Business administration$67,048
Speech-language pathology$66,995
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$65,502
Physics$65,217
Biochemistry$64,830
Design$61,539
Global studies$60,976
Health administration$60,895
Geography$60,646
Public administration$59,074
Public relations$59,009
Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations$58,794
Mathematics$58,566
Writing and rhetoric$58,484
Chemistry$58,396
Journalism$57,963
Political science$56,716
Kinesiology and exercise science$55,832
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning$55,625
Biology$55,605
Natural resources and conservation$55,595
Romance languages$54,541
Public health$54,229
Liberal arts$54,099
Interdisciplinary studies$54,053
Sociology$53,434
International relations$53,407
Dance$53,057
Communication studies$53,009
Foods, Nutrition,$52,836
Social work$52,766
Criminal justice$52,447
History$52,329
Music$52,320
Animal Sciences$51,157
Philosophy$50,768
Psychology$50,549
Family and human development$50,151
Broadcasting$49,987
Agricultural business$49,571
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies$49,406
Theatre$48,502
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management$47,752
English$47,634
Fine arts$44,934
Zoology/Animal Biology$43,943
Anthropology$40,706
Film and video$39,473

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Biological and physical sciences, Civil engineering, Ecology and evolutionary biology, Engineering-Related Fields, Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, German, Health sciences, Industrial technology, Religious studies, Teacher education.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Business16%
Communication9%
Psychology8%
Health professions8%
Visual and performing arts7%

Campus life

SettingCity
Part-time undergraduates14%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older8%
On-campus room and board (per year)$12,630
SportsNCAA Division I · Sun Belt Conference
ROTCArmy · Air Force
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member21 to 1
Faculty who are full-time79%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Endowment per student$10,414Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS)
Dorm spaceFor about 20% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS)
Nearest airport with scheduled flightsAustin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)About 27 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports)
Town population70,8972020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau)
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreAustinAbout 30 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau)
Average temperature in January51°F1991–2020 normal, from SAN MARCOS, TX US, about 1 miles away (NOAA)
Average temperature in July85°F1991–2020 normal, from SAN MARCOS, TX US, about 1 miles away (NOAA)

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.230.07
Robbery0.020.01
Aggravated assault0.200.04
Burglary0.350.08
Motor vehicle theft0.200.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Texas State University’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Texas State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $16,805 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Texas State University?
Texas State University admitted 89% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Texas State University’s graduates do?
55% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $56,906; the median federal debt at graduation is $21,000.

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About this school’s data
  • IPEDS unit ID 228459
  • Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (high research)
  • Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges d.b.a. Commission on Colleges and Universities (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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