The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) by the U.S. Department of Education.

Texas State's main campus consists of 245 buildings on 507 acres (2.05 km2) of hilly land along the San Marcos River.

[12] Texas State University's intercollegiate sports teams, the Bobcats, compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Sun Belt Conference.

While there was opposition to the bill, with the support of state senator J.B. Dibrell, it was finally passed and signed into law on May 10, 1899, by Governor Joseph D.

[14] In October 1899, the San Marcos City Council voted to donate 11 acres (45,000 m2) of land at what was known as Chautauqua Hill for the school to be built on.

[16]: 15–18 The college enrolled its first African-American students in 1963, following a federal lawsuit brought by Dana Smith, who became one of the first five African Americans at the institution when a district court judge ruled that they could not be denied admission based on race.

[17] On November 8, 1965, the school's most famous alumnus, United States president Lyndon B. Johnson, returned to his alma mater to sign the Higher Education Act of 1965 a part of the Great Society programs.

As enrollment in these programs increased and with a gift of 101 acres (0.41 km2), the Texas State University Round Rock Campus was constructed and opened in 2005.

The ASG had unanimously approved a resolution supporting the change, arguing that the current name reflected a regionalism that was not aligned with the university's effort to reach top-tier status.

The ASG further said that donations from the school's alumni would pay for implementing the name change so that state tax dollars would not be required.

In 2013, under the McDaniel-Sibley ASG Administration, Associated Student Government senator Quentin De La Garza continued the efforts to have the name changed.

[27] In the fall of 2019, the US Department of Education opened a formal review into Texas State University's compliance with a federal crime-reporting statute meant to provide information about campus safety.

Texas State University officials acknowledged in September 2019 that it seriously under-reported the number of rapes and other crimes on campus in recent years.

[28][29][30] A former university police chief and his top deputy were also accused of hiring unqualified officers to patrol the San Marcos campus, including one who allegedly slept with a sexual assault victim while investigating her case.

It spans 507 acres (2.05 km2),[32] including the original land donated by the city of San Marcos consisting of Chautauqua Hill on which Old Main still sits.

[35][36] The east end of the Quad rises to the top of the highest hill on campus where the university's oldest building, Old Main, sits.

The main campus in San Marcos served as the location of the fictional school TMU (Texas Methodist University) in the NBC TV series Friday Night Lights.

Originally known as the Round Rock Higher Education Center (RRHEC), the facility was opened in 1996 in temporary buildings with a small number of classes.

Students can complete their first two years at the Texas State University San Marcos campus or any community college, or transfer to the RRC from another school.

The university plans on earning a total of $10 million from The Meadows Foundation and other sources for the center to study interactions between water and the overall environment.

After the death of a Phi Kappa Psi pledge in November 2017, Texas State University halted all Greek life activities.

[99] The oldest form of student media at Texas State was a yearbook originally called the Pedagogue and later renamed the Pedagog.

The Star and its staff have received awards including merits from Hearst Journalism,[102] the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association[103] and the Society of Professional Journalists.

KTSW's morning show, Orange Juice and Biscuits, gained recognition in 2007 for being a finalist in Collegiate Broadcasters Inc.'s "Best Regularly Scheduled Program" award.

Texas State teams and athletes from multiple sports have won national and regional championships as well as medalists in the Olympic Games.

[106] In 1920, Texas State adopted its first official mascot, the bobcat, at the urging of Oscar Strahan, who became the school's athletic director in 1919.

A trophy consisting of an Interstate Highway 35 sign was originally given to the winner of the men's basketball game, but that tradition has been expanded to all sporting events between the two schools.

Johnson attended the university, then known as the Southwest Texas State Teachers College, from 1926 until 1930 when he earned his Bachelor of Science degree.

[128][129] Other notable alumni include: comedian Devon Walker, who joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2022; General Robert L. Rutherford, United States Air Force; musician Scott H. Biram; actor Powers Boothe;[130] writer Tomás Rivera;[131] Texas state representative Alfred P.C.

Petsch; columnist "Heloise" (Ponce Cruse Evans);[132] mathematician and former president of the American Mathematical Society R. H. Bing; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt; professional wrestler Lance Archer (Lance Hoyt); Texas musician Charlie Robison; and military historian Alan C. Carey.