Texas State University: Admission Record for 16th Consecutive Year

Chanell Heeter
February 26, 2014
News Story #3

With the most diverse student body in the school's history alongside an enrollment of 35,568 students for the 2013 fall semester, Texas State University has set an admission record for its 16^th consecutive year.

President Denise M. Trauth said she was gratified to see how many incoming students are choosing to attend Texas State University. “This new high in student enrollment demonstrates that Texas State continues to be a leading university in the state,” she said in a statement. Students and families continue to recognize Texas State's educational experience as well as its exceptional value.

The number of students attending Texas State wasn't a primary influence for student Chelsey Kidder, who was attracted to the university's beautiful campus. “The river was the icing on the cake,” she said.

Timry Gunter, junior, said it was the city of San Marcos that motivated her to attend the university. Due to the increased enrollment, Texas State’s student body continues to grow and diversify. Stephen Torres, junior, knew the campus was initially big in size, but was unaware of the number of students Texas State acquired.

For students like Colby Gober, who has been at Texas State for three years, he became realized how much of an impact the size of the university had on him. “It has definitely affected me,” he said. “The amount of construction and traffic with both students on campus and around the streets... I have seen the growth and change.”

Gober also thinks standards at Texas State will be raised so it can become a better school with the increased number of students.

Rhodes Coons, a student, identified the enrollment record as a negative concept. “There (are) too many people,” Coons said. “They should make it harder to get into.”

Tyler Stevenson, 21, said he likes Texas State's growth in popularity, but the university should begin making accommodations for the increase in students.

Torres agrees with Stevenson. “They should add more buses and more parking, so it's easier to get to and from the campus,” said Torres.

Texas State Provost Eugene Bourgeois said it's important for the university's institutions of higher learning to adequately reflect the growing diversity as the demographics of Texas continue to shift. “We are most pleased that our efforts to recruit students from all backgrounds has led to a truly diverse population at Texas State,” Bourgeois said in a statement.

Efrain Balderrama, senior, wants to see Texas State University become one of the top three schools in Texas within the next five years.

“I want Texas State to be one of the biggest and the best,” he said, “Let it grow.”