Texas Wesleyan University was founded as Polytechnic College by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1890.

A committee under the direction of Bishop Joseph S. Key explored locations for a campus and settled on a site east of Fort Worth donated by area pioneers A.S. Hall, W.D.

When Dallas was selected by Methodist Church leaders as the site for Southern Methodist University, the Polytechnic campus was designated the "woman's college for Southern Methodism", eventually becoming Texas Woman's College in 1914, attracting young women from around Texas and the Southwest.

However, when faced with dwindling resources during the Great Depression, the college's trustees voted to close the school in 1931.

[8] Recognizing the growth in programs, trustees changed the name of the institution to Texas Wesleyan University in January 1989.

[2] To add flexibility in the scheduling of courses and to recognize the special needs of adult learners, the university added the C.E.

In 2015, Texas Wesleyan completed the Rosedale Renaissance project under the direction of university president Frederick G. Slabach.

The $5.7 million project revitalized both the Texas Wesleyan campus and the surrounding Polytechnic Heights neighborhood, and included the construction of the Canafax Clock Tower, the United Methodist Church Central Texas Conference Service Center, and the renovation of the Polytechnic Firehouse.

Texas Wesleyan is located on a 75-acre campus in the Polytechnic Heights Neighborhood in east Fort Worth.

The campus sits 140 feet above the Trinity River and is one of the highest points in the city of Fort Worth.

[13] Sanguinet & Staats, a firm noted for building many sites on the National Register of Historic Places, built Dan Waggoner Hall in 1917.

[13] The Polytechnic United Methodist Church was built in 1951-1952 by Wyatt C. Hedrick and is designed in the collegiate gothic style.

[14] Texas Wesleyan places an emphasis on the development of critical thinking skills, and the university's strategic plan requires faculty to develop measurable critical thinking, analytical reasoning and creative problem-solving skills in students based on academic proficiency and assessment metrics.

[15] More than 70 percent of Texas Wesleyan's classes have fewer than 20 students, and the university's average student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1.

The Rambler also offers a public forum for the dissemination of news and opinion of interest and relevance to the Wesleyan community.

Texas Wesleyan University Student Life-Student Organizations Intramurals include cheerleading, competitive dance, disc golf, flag football, Volleyball, and 3-3 basketball.

[24] Marjorie Herrera Lewis coached defensive backs in 2017, making her the only female college football coach at any level that year.In the 2024 season, Texas Weselyan went undefeated and broke the NAIA record for points scored per game,[25] before eventually falling to Benedictine College in the second round of NAIA playoffs.

An appropriation request proposal was submitted by the university for the 2009 fiscal year to the U.S. representative Michael C. Burgess of the 26th District for a project entitled “Rosedale Avenue Redevelopment Initiative”.

In this proposal the university requests funding for a “…comprehensive revitalization plan that includes commercial and residential development, with park-like open spaces.” [31] The university donated land and help arrange for the construction of a new Boys and Girls Club on Rosedale Street, directly across from the campus.

Opened in March 2002, this facility provides activities for area youth, and offers opportunities for Wesleyan students to mentor and tutor local youngsters.

Community organizers and the Methodist Church opposed the move and worked to keep Texas Wesleyan where it was” .