Southwest Texas State Normal School opened its doors in 1903. Later, the Legislature broadened the institution's scope and changed its name, in succession, to Normal College, Teachers College, College, University, and in 2003 to Texas State University-San Marcos. 

San Marcos Campus
Finished in 1903, the red-roofed, castle-like landmark called Old Main was Texas State's first building. As the university's student population has grown — from 303 in 1903 to 30,816 in 2009 — our San Marcos campus, too, has broaden. Nowadays it consists of a 457-acre main campus and 4,777 additional acres in recreational, instructional, farm and ranch land.

Texas State's 29,105 students choose from 100 bachelor’s, 88 master’s and eight doctoral degree programs offered by the following colleges: Applied Arts, McCoy College of Business Administration, Education, Fine Arts and Communication, Health Professions, Liberal Arts, Science, University College and the Graduate College. All students come from around the globe, and the student body is diverse. Thirty-two percent of Texas State students are ethnic minorities. Texas State is ranked 16th in the nation for the number of degrees we grant to Hispanic undergraduates.

The university offers numerous distance learning opportunities, including courses in Arts, Biology, Business, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Philosophy, Dance, English, Health Information Management, Communications, History, Mathematics, Sociology and others. There are also flexible evening and weekend classes, which can be taken on the main campus in San Marcos, at various off-campus locations. Distance learning courses involve the use of distributed technologies including the Internet, e-mail, video, and broadcast.

To the distance learning programs belong such programs as the Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management, Master of Applied Geography, Master of Applied Geography, Master of Education in Mathematics (Secondary and Community College Teaching), Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies, of Social Work in Administrative Leadership and Master of Social Work in Direct Practice.

Financial Aid and Scholarships
Every year university helps over 17,000 Bobcats finance their education. Texas State University-San Marcos offers a variety of assistance including grants, work-study, student and parent loans, scholarships and nonresident tuition. Regardless of financial resources, attending Texas State is possible.