Texas A&M University
Texas's first public university: a land-, sea- and space-grant giant where the Corps of Cadets, Muster and the 12th Man still shape campus life.
- Acceptance rate
- 52%
- First-year class entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
- Students
- 80,808
- 62,031 undergraduates
- International
- 1%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 20:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $40,847
- 2025-26
About Texas A&M
Texas A&M University was established by the Texas Legislature in 1871 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, the state's first public institution of higher education, and began classes in 1876. It is one of the largest universities in the United States, with about 81,000 students across all campuses in fall 2025, some 62,000 of them undergraduates, and one of the few to hold land-, sea- and space-grant designations. It is the main university of the Texas A&M University System and a member of the Association of American Universities.
The main College Station campus covers 5,200 acres and houses 17 colleges and schools, from the College of Engineering, the largest on campus with more than 22,500 students in 15 departments, to Mays Business School, the Bush School of Government and Public Service and a College of Veterinary Medicine. Branch campuses in Galveston and Doha, Qatar, focus on marine and maritime studies and engineering. Texas A&M spent nearly $1.4 billion on research in fiscal year 2024.
What sets A&M apart is its culture. The Corps of Cadets, with more than 2,400 cadets, is the oldest student organization, and traditions such as the Aggie Ring, Muster, Silver Taps and the 12th Man bind current students to a former-student network of over 630,000. It suits students who want a big, spirited public university with strong engineering, agriculture and business programs, and who like the idea of joining a community with its own language and rituals.
Why students choose Texas A&M
U.S. News ranks Texas A&M's undergraduate petroleum engineering program No. 1 in the nation, and it places industrial, civil and aerospace engineering in the national top 10.
Texas residents in the top 10% of their high school class are automatically admitted, and all other applicants get a holistic review that weighs extracurriculars and talents as heavily as grades.
Aggie Assurance covers tuition and fees for students whose family income is $60,000 or less, with tuition support grants up to $130,000 in family income.
The Education Abroad program sends over 5,600 students to 110 countries each year, and U.S. News ranks A&M No. 3 among public universities for study abroad.
Admissions
First-year class entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
About 1 in 2 applicants is admitted
32,531 admitted from 62,967 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Of 62,967 first-year applicants for fall 2025, 32,531 were admitted and 12,484 enrolled. Texas applicants made up 49,156 of the applicants and 26,620 of the admits; 2,929 international students applied and 1,422 were admitted. Texas residents in the top 10% of their class are admitted automatically, so the holistic-review pool is more selective than the overall rate suggests.
Typical entry requirements
| High school curriculum (CDS C5) | 22 units required, 26 recommended: 4 English, 3 maths (4 recommended), 3 science (4 recommended), 2 foreign language, 3 social studies (4 recommended), 1 visual/performing arts and academic electives |
|---|---|
| Texas private high school applicants | Must meet the State of Texas Uniform Admission Policy, e.g. SAT 480 EBRW and 530 Math, or ACT 18 English, 22 Reading, 22 Math and 23 Science, or an Exemption Form 3 showing an equivalent curriculum |
| English language | IELTS 6 · TOEFL iBT 80 TOEFL iBT 80 for tests taken before 21 January 2026; for tests on or after that date, 4.5 overall with at least 4.0 in each skill. IELTS Academic 6.0 overall. Also accepted: SAT EBRW 560, ACT English 21, TOEFL Essentials 8.5, or four years at a US high school. Citizens of listed English-speaking countries (e.g. UK, Ireland, Canada except Quebec, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Ghana) are exempt. MyBest TOEFL scores are not accepted. |
Deadlines
- Fall 2027 application deadline (College Station) Non-binding Next deadline · In 55 daysDecember 1, 2026
Applications open August 1, 2026. Top 10% decisions begin in September and holistic-review decisions in October; final decisions are released in March. The incoming freshman scholarship application deadline is also December 1.
- Required documents deadline (STARS, supporting documents) Non-binding In ~2 monthsDecember 15, 2026
The STARS record must be submitted and linked to your application by this date.
- Enrollment reply deadline In ~7 monthsMay 1, 2027
Deadline to accept and confirm an admission offer for fall.
Texas A&M has no early decision, and its admissions pages list no early action round for fall entry. Decisions are released on a rolling basis, but applying early does not guarantee an early decision. The dates are the published fall timeline (December 1 and December 15), applied to fall 2027 entry. If a deadline falls on a weekend, the application stays open until 11:59 p.m. Central time the following Monday.
How to apply
Apply through the Common App or ApplyTexas (the choice does not affect the decision). You'll write a required 750-word essay, a 250-word short answer and four 100-word answers on goals, major choice, why Texas A&M and plans beyond the bachelor's, plus an optional 250-word answer. You also complete a Self-reported Transcript and Academic Record (STARS) and pay a $75 fee ($90 for international applicants). Up to two letters of recommendation and a resume are optional; test scores are optional.
What admissions looks for
- In holistic review, academic factors include every high school course and grade, the rigor of your coursework, GPA and class rank; the CDS rates rigor, class rank and GPA as very important.
- Non-academic factors include extracurricular activities, community service, leadership, employment and summer activities; the CDS rates extracurriculars and talent as very important.
- Extraordinary opportunities, challenges and hardships experienced in high school, which the essay prompt asks you to describe directly.
- Automatic admission for Texas residents in the top 10% of their class who report their rank on STARS and send a verifying transcript.
Tips for applying to Texas A&M
- 1 Start the STARS self-reported transcript early: the admissions office says it can take two to six hours, and it must be linked to your application by December 15.
- 2 The main essay asks you to 'tell us your story': focus on specific opportunities or challenges from high school, since hardships are an explicit review factor.
- 3 If you are a Texas resident in the top 10%, report your rank on STARS and send a transcript with a numeric rank, or your automatic admission will be delayed.
- 4 Engineering applicants, including top 10% students, are reviewed for placement into General Engineering. If you're out of state, earning at least $4,000 a year in competitive Texas A&M scholarships qualifies you to pay in-state tuition.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for Texas A&M University
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2025-26 · figures in USD
Through Aggie Assurance, tuition and fees are covered by grants and scholarships for students whose family income is $60,000 or less, and tuition support grants of $500 to $1,500 go to College Station students with family incomes up to $130,000. National Merit Finalists receive guaranteed awards of up to $43,000 over four years. Non-residents with at least $4,000 a year in competitive Texas A&M scholarships pay in-state tuition, and a small number of international students receive institutional aid.
- Tuition and fees covered for family income of $60,000 or less
- Aggie Assurance
- 71%
- Average need met for full-time first-years with need (CDS H2)
- $14,880
- Average need-based grant for first-years
- 36%, average debt $27,831
- 2024-25 bachelor's graduates who borrowed (CDS H4)
- 237, averaging $34,321
- International undergraduates receiving institutional aid
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Petroleum Engineering
Ranked the nation's No. 1 undergraduate petroleum engineering program by U.S. News 2026-27.
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Ranked fifth among all schools by U.S. News; run jointly by the Colleges of Agriculture and Engineering.
Industrial, Civil and Aerospace Engineering
U.S. News places them No. 7, No. 9 and No. 10 nationally, inside a college of more than 22,500 students.
Mays Business School (Accounting, Management, Marketing)
Nearly 6,300 students; U.S. News ranks management No. 11, accounting No. 12 and marketing No. 13.
Agriculture and Life Sciences
Rooted in A&M's land-grant mission, it awards about 9% of bachelor's degrees, among the largest shares at the university.
Marine and maritime studies (Galveston)
The Galveston campus offers marine science, engineering, business and maritime transportation degrees on the Gulf of Mexico.
Research
- Texas A&M was the first university in Texas to pass $1 billion in annual research spending ($1.131 billion in FY2020) and spent nearly $1.4 billion in FY2024.
- It holds land-, sea- and space-grant designations and is a member of the Association of American Universities.
- 54 faculty members belong to the National Academies (fall 2025).
Schools & faculties
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- College of Architecture
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Mays Business School
- College of Education and Human Development
- College of Engineering
- Bush School of Government and Public Service
- College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies
- College of Nursing
- College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts
- School of Public Health
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
College Scorecard reports median earnings of $72,097 for students 10 years after entering Texas A&M-College Station ($59,386 six years after entry).
Student life
Life at Texas A&M runs on tradition. Incoming students can go to Fish Camp, the largest student-led extended orientation in the country, and Hullabaloo U, a first-year seminar that pairs students with peer mentors. The Corps of Cadets, which began 2025-26 with more than 2,400 cadets, keeps a visible military presence, and the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band performs at football games in Kyle Field. There are more than 1,300 recognized student organizations, Greek life and a large recreational sports program. Remembrance traditions such as Muster, Silver Taps and the Bonfire Memorial honour Aggies who have died.
- Southeastern Conference (SEC), NCAA Division I; football at Kyle Field, basketball at Reed Arena and baseball at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
- The Corps of Cadets is the largest and oldest student organization, and includes the Ross Volunteers and the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band.
- More than 1,300 recognized student organizations (fall 2025).
- Aggie traditions include the Aggie Ring, the 12th Man, yell leaders, Reveille the collie mascot, Muster and Silver Taps.
- U.S. News ranks A&M No. 8 among public universities for first-year experience.
Housing. On-campus living is not required: 55% of fall 2025 first-years and about 20% of all undergraduates lived in university housing, according to the CDS.
Location
College Station and neighbouring Bryan form a twin-city college town in the Brazos Valley of Texas. The university describes a small-town feel with big-city amenities: more than 90 parks, locally owned restaurants such as the Dixie Chicken and Layne's, and First Fridays in downtown Bryan. The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is on campus.
Nearest airport: Easterwood Airport (CLL), next to campus
Notable alumni
- RP Rick PerryGovernor of Texas (2000-2015) and US Secretary of Energy; Texas A&M 1972, yell leader and Corps of Cadets member
- HC Henry CisnerosMayor of San Antonio and US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; BA in English and MA in urban planning from Texas A&M
- GP George P. MitchellEnergy entrepreneur who pioneered economic shale gas extraction; petroleum engineering graduate (1940)
- LL Lyle LovettGrammy-winning country singer-songwriter; BA in German and journalism (1980)
- MF Michael FossumNASA astronaut who flew on Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions; later led Texas A&M University at Galveston
- VM Von MillerNFL linebacker and Super Bowl 50 MVP; consensus All-American and Butkus Award winner at Texas A&M
Frequently asked questions
What is Texas A&M's acceptance rate?
For fall 2025, Texas A&M admitted 32,531 of 62,967 first-year applicants, about 51.7%. Texas residents in the top 10% of their class are admitted automatically, so the rate for other applicants is lower.
Does Texas A&M require the SAT or ACT for 2027 entry?
No. Texas A&M is test optional and says sending scores creates no advantage or disadvantage. Among enrolled fall 2025 first-years who submitted scores, the middle 50% was 1160-1390 on the SAT and 24-32 on the ACT.
When is the Texas A&M application deadline for fall 2027?
Apply to College Station by December 1, 2026, and submit your STARS transcript and other documents by December 15, 2026. There is no early decision or early action round.
How much does Texas A&M cost?
In 2025-26, tuition and required fees were about $12,856 for Texas residents and $40,847 for out-of-state and international students, plus $12,944 for on-campus housing and food. Amounts vary by major.
Can out-of-state students pay in-state tuition at Texas A&M?
Yes, if they hold at least $4,000 a year in competitive Texas A&M scholarships (none under $1,000), under the state's competitive scholarship waiver, for example through National Merit awards.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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