Texas State University
Public Research University in San Marcos, TX. Six-year graduation rate 55%. Median 10-year earnings $56,906.
Ten years after entry, the median Texas State University student earns $56,906 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 55% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $21,000, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
With an acceptance rate of 89%, Texas State University takes nearly everyone who applies. With 34,146 applications received, this is a school operating at national scale. 27% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. The score bands below rest on the 41% of enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 500–610 | 3,369 (41%) |
| SAT Math | 480–590 | |
| ACT Composite | 19–25 | 484 (6%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Texas State University →Academics
Completion is middling: 55% finish inside six years. 80% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. Retention drops to 57% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. At 21:1, class sizes land in the normal range for an undergraduate institution.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 34,547 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $15,716 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. The income table below is the number that matters — $12,715 at $0–30k versus $24,713 at $110k+. About 60% get grants averaging $9,539, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing reaches 41% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 7,668 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $12,715 |
| $30–48k | $13,557 |
| $48–75k | $13,804 |
| $75–110k | $20,028 |
| $110k+ | $24,713 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 14,170 of these 34,547 students, totalling $87,400,406 — an average of $6,168 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Hays County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)