exas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Established in 1899 as the Southwest Texas State Normal School, it opened in 1903 to 303 students. Since that time it has grown into the largest institution in the Texas State University System and the fifth-largest university in the state of Texas with an enrollment of over 38,500 students for the 2018 fall semester. It has ten colleges and about fifty schools and departments.