R2 ResearchPublic

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas·Public, 4-year or above·Southwest·tarleton.edu
6-yr Graduation
48%
+2.0pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
17,433
peer median 10,472
Avg net price
$20,783
+$7.2k vs R2 Research
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeResearch fundingDocumentsAlumni

About

Tarleton State University is a public research university in Stephenville, Texas, United States. It is a founding member of the Texas A&M University System and enrolled over 15,000 students in the fall of 2022. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
13,705
13,705 candidates competed
Admitted
12,273
89.6% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,986
24.3% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
48%+2.0pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
33%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
48%
Full-time retention
70%

Pell equity

8.5pp gap
Pell recipients
43%336 of 784
Non-Pell (all)
52%649 of 1259
Subsidized loan, no Pell
54%169 of 315
No Federal Aid
51%480 of 944

Non-Pell students graduate at a 8.5-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 133 Title IV programs, 43 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 88 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
133
Passing
43
32.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
1.5% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.5%
+0.9pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

133programs
  • Passing43 · 32.3%
  • No Data88 · 66.2%
  • Failing2 · 1.5%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
2
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
4
Safe
39
No data
88

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

45
Communication and Media Studies
Master's Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
-13.8%
$50,666 vs $58,761
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-7.7%
$56,139 vs $60,823
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+10.6%
$53,805 vs $48,653
Agricultural Public Services
Master's Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+12.9%
$60,588 vs $53,672
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Master's Degree · Security And Protective Services
+21.0%
$64,860 vs $53,607
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+22.1%
$56,646 vs $46,391
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+26.1%
$58,498 vs $46,391
Animal Sciences
Bachelor Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+29.7%
$43,185 vs $33,298

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

39
Educational Administration and Supervision
Doctoral Degree · Education
73%
$70,182 debt · $96,825 earn
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
69%
$36,864 debt · $53,805 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
53%
$25,500 debt · $47,795 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
50%
$21,981 debt · $43,665 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
50%
$25,125 debt · $50,385 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Master's Degree · Security And Protective Services
49%
$31,458 debt · $64,860 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
48%
$21,338 debt · $44,106 earn
Animal Sciences
Bachelor Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
48%
$20,827 debt · $43,185 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1926Next review Jun 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 4

Action history · 14

  1. Oct 2025Deny Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Oct 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Sep 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jun 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Feb 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$15,574
$30–48k$16,980
$48–75k$20,396
$75–110k$23,466
$110k+$24,076

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$20,783
+$7,213vs R2 Research median $13,570
Federal loans
40.0%
In-state tuition
$8,302
Out-of-state
$18,142

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 5,848 students received $35.4M in Pell grants, alongside $58.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
5,848
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$35.4M
$35,399,231 total
Direct Loans
$58.6M
9,661 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

5k
’20
5k
’21
5k
’22
5k
’23
6k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$13.6M
3,634 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$18.3M
4,127 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$17.0M
1,162 loan awards
Parent PLUS$9.1M
652 loan awards
Grad PLUS$521K
86 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 3,476 borrowers who entered repayment, 82 (2.3%) defaulted within three years.

Default rate
2.3%
vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
3,476
Defaulted
82
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.7%
2017
7.3%
2018
7.2%
2019
2.3%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Tarleton State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs94
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

3,171 total completions
01Business
85426.9%
02Agriculture
46614.7%
03Parks/Recreation
37511.8%
04Health Professions
32310.2%
05Psychology
31710.0%
06Education
2317.3%
07Security/Protective
1906.0%
08Public Admin
1715.4%
09Engineering Tech
1274.0%
10Computer Sciences
1173.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
17,433
12-mo unduplicated
19,646
Undergraduate
17,013
Graduate
2,633

Gender split

Men
38%7,545
Women
62%12,101

Race / ethnicity composition

White
62.8%
Hispanic
24.3%
Black
5.7%
Two or more
3.2%
Asian
1.4%
Unknown
1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.7%
Non-resident
0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
424
239 M · 185 W
Women athletes
43.6%
Athletic aid
$6.3M
Total student aid
Budget
$34.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$3.8M
$2.5M
Recruiting expense
$373K
$279K
Head-coach salaries
$163K
$91K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
106 M · 108 W
$2.0M
Football
128 M · —
$8.8M
Baseball
41 M · —
$1.7M
Basketball
18 M · 15 W
$5.1M
Softball
— · 30 W
$1.3M
Soccer
— · 27 W
$1.2M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.63
10 offenses · 15,937 students

3-year trend

1.212 yrs ago1.351 yr ago0.63Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
46
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
37
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
5
Burglary
4
Rape
1

By location

10total
  • On campus10

Includes 2 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
10
Stalking
10 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs38
Liquor24142

Residence-hall fires

  • Texan Village 41 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Texan Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 8 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
20.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
508

Tarleton State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Tarleton State selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectTarleton State University
48%—17,433$20,783R2 Research
Lamar University
37%86.4%17,772$9,366Doctoral/Professional
Prairie View A & M University
43%79.3%9,922$13,570R2 Research
Stephen F Austin State University
53%94.0%10,472$14,260Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Texas A & M International University
46%44.4%8,991$3,637Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi
40%88.6%11,266$15,225R2 Research
Texas A&M University-Texarkana
30%63.5%2,412$12,997Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
51%94.2%33,881$4,831R2 Research
West Texas A & M University
48%98.7%9,045$19,487Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median46%87.5%10,472$13,570

Institutions like Tarleton State

Explore the federal data for institutions in Tarleton State's comparison group.

IPEDS

Tarleton State Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Team
1 member
  • Morgan Carter
    Director of Institutional Analytics, Effectiveness, and Accreditation

Research funding

External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.

NSF
NIH awards
$1,663,016
USA Spending
$14,378,459
All sources
$16,041,475

Reports & documents (1)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Tarleton State (27)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Chris Adams
    Military
  • Alexandra Allred
  • Susan Ballabina
  • Ben Barnes
    Politics
  • DeWayne Burns
    Politics
  • Charles Congden Carpenter
  • Richie Champion
  • George Cowden
  • J. W. Fritz
  • Steve Fryar
  • Bob Glasgow
  • Robert Manning Gray
Showing 1–12 of 27
1 / 3

Frequently asked questions about Tarleton State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Tarleton State.

What is the graduation rate at Tarleton State University?

Tarleton State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 48% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Tarleton State University?

Tarleton State University reports a total enrollment of 17,433 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Tarleton State University?

The average net price at Tarleton State University is $20,783 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Tarleton State University?

Tarleton State University's yield rate is 24.3%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Tarleton State University located?

Tarleton State University is located in Stephenville, Texas 76401-0000.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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