Let’s walk through it together.
Who This University Is and Where It Stands
Texas A&M University-San Antonio is a public four-year institution. The federal system that classifies colleges in this country—Carnegie—places it among master’s universities with larger programs. That means that although the bulk of its work is educating bachelor’s students, it also offers graduate study: a master’s degree is the highest level it reports.
Here is the first nuance worth remembering: Carnegie also describes it as a “primarily nonresidential” institution. That does not mean there are no residence halls—in fact, there are, as we will see. It means that, according to 2019-20 data, either fewer than one in four undergraduate students lived in institution-owned housing or fewer than half attended full time. The report does not distinguish which of the two conditions applied. What is clear is this: if your child will be commuting from home, tuition is not the only thing you need to budget for. There is also the bus, gas, and time on the road.
The university is in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County, within the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan area, in a city with more than 250,000 residents. That does not tell you whether the campus is close to downtown or how easy the route is. If you are considering having your child live at home, my recommendation is simple: drive the route on a weekday at the exact time of your child’s classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map shows.
One more point about identity, because families sometimes look for signals that are not where they expect them to be. Texas A&M University-San Antonio has none of these three federal designations: it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. That says nothing about which communities it serves or how your child will feel there. Those questions are answered by looking at which cultural centers and student organizations exist today and talking with someone who is already studying there.
A Community Where Your Child Would Not Be “the Only One”
Here is a fact worth emphasizing carefully, because for many Latino families it changes the entire conversation. In fall 2023, 71 out of every 100 undergraduate students were reported as Hispanic or Latino. Compared with the 519 selective-admission, four-year public universities included in this census, it is among those reporting the highest share: nine out of ten of those schools reported an equal or lower figure.
If your child is worried about feeling like the only one in a classroom, the numbers here do not show that.
But—and this matters—counting students is not the same as serving them. Having many Latino students does not tell you whether there are counselors who speak Spanish, whether tutoring is designed for that community, or whether those students actually complete their degrees. This is a school-wide figure, not one for your child’s specific major. Keep it as valuable context, not as a guarantee.
The rest of the student profile also has useful nuances: one-third of undergraduate students are between 25 and 64 years old, so this is not just a campus for recent high school graduates. There are more women than men—65 out of every 100. And 98 out of every 100 entering students reported living in Texas when they applied. Above all, this is a school that serves its own state.
In terms of size, with 7,584 enrolled students—6,706 undergraduates and 878 graduate students—it is a midsize university, neither one of the smallest nor one of the largest, and it falls in the middle among its peers. With so many part-time students in the mix, here is one practical suggestion: ask what times courses in your child’s intended major are offered before assuming what the schedule will look like.
How Academics Work
The academic calendar uses semesters: two long terms of approximately 15 weeks each. The university stated that it accepts credit from AP exams and also what IPEDS calls “credit for life experience”—learning acquired through independent study, work experience, portfolios, prior licenses, certifications, or other pathways. It also reports that it enrolls high school students in college courses through a formal dual-enrollment program and accepts credit for military training.
Here is a hard truth that can spare you an expensive surprise: the university’s statement that it accepts AP does not mean it will award credit for every exam your child submits. We do not know what scores it requires, how many credits it awards, or whether those credits will count toward the specific major your child chooses. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for what students study there: in one year, the university awarded 1,266 bachelor’s degrees across 17 fields of study. The largest was business and management, with 26 out of every 100 degrees—a significant share, but far from accounting for everything. Compared with similar schools, it has fewer represented fields of study than most of its peers. No field accounts for 30 out of every 100 degrees. Its offerings are distributed across fields; this is not a school dominated by a single specialty.
The ratio of students to instructional staff is 19 to 1. That sounds like a middle-range figure on the overall scale, but compared specifically with universities of the same type, it falls in the highest quarter: three out of four similar schools report an equal or lower ratio. Both readings are true at the same time, and neither tells you the actual size of a first-year class. That information is not included in the data.
The university also reports structured opportunities: study abroad, a complete program that can be taken exclusively in the evening or on weekends, credit-bearing developmental education, and several pathways related to teacher certification, including state approval for initial teacher certification.
Getting In Is Accessible. Staying Is Another Question
Let’s start with what probably interests you most: how hard is it to get in?
Texas A&M University-San Antonio does not have open admission. It reviews specific items before saying yes: the high school transcript, grade point average, your child’s class rank, and—when applicable—an English-proficiency exam. That last item deserves your attention now: if your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask today whether that exam applies and what would qualify your child for an exemption. This is the kind of requirement families discover late, complicating their timelines.
Now for the central figure: in the 2023 cycle, for every 100 applicants, 92 received an offer of admission. It is one of the most accessible universities among its selective public peers: seven out of ten similar schools accept an equal or lower percentage. Even with that openness, 622 of the 7,773 applicants did not receive an offer. Submitting a complete application on time still matters.
But here is a hard truth that I cannot soften: for every 100 admitted students, only 14 enrolled. Of every seven who receive a “yes,” approximately one ultimately attends. That is a low proportion compared with similar schools. And I want to be clear with you about what this does and does not mean: it is not a mark against the school’s quality. The federal record does not explain why each family made its decision. What I can tell you is this: what other families decided does not tell you what the university will offer you. Wait for your own net-price letter—showing what the year would actually cost—before removing this school from your list or committing to it.
The SAT and ACT are not required here. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application proceeds in the same way. Among those who enrolled and submitted SAT scores—39 out of every 100, a high proportion compared with similar schools—the middle half scored between 430 and 540 in reading and writing and between 420 and 530 in mathematics. Be careful: those numbers describe students who had already enrolled, not all applicants. They are neither a minimum that must be reached nor a guarantee of anything.
One more fact about student movement that many families do not anticipate: for every 100 students who entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor’s degree, 40 transferred to another school without completing here. This is among the highest proportions among its peers. At the same time, the university also receives considerable movement in the other direction: 723 students arrived in 2023 after previously studying at another institution. Here is something almost no family expects and that is worth keeping in mind: a student who transfers is not counted as a graduate of this school, even if the student completes a degree elsewhere. Remember this when you reach the graduation-rates section later.
The Sticker Price, and Why It Is Not What You Will Pay
At Texas A&M University-San Antonio, among 327 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $11,412. Among 128 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $14,295; among 56 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $20,436. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (327 students) and the highest-income band (56 students) is $9,024. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $13,263.
$11,412 was the average net price for families in the lowest-income band in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you determine whether it is worth requesting the financial-aid letter.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grants or scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.
How It Is Paid For: Grants, Loans, and the Pieces You Should Not Mix Together
At this university, 65 out of every 100 students received aid that does not have to be repaid—grants and scholarships. That is more than half, although it falls in the lowest quarter compared with similar schools. Among recipients, the annual average was $6,793.
The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—went to 52 out of every 100 students. That is more than half of the student body, so applying for it here is neither unusual nor limited to a small number of students. Do not hesitate to ask what documents are required and when they are due.
On the other side of the balance: 40 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan, with an average of $7,158 among those who borrowed. That is a common proportion, neither among the highest nor the lowest compared with peers.
I want to be honest with you about something that financial-aid letters sometimes blur, whether intentionally or carelessly: separate by hand, into different columns, what does not have to be repaid, what must be repaid with interest, and what must be earned through work. That average loan amount of $7,158, moreover, covers only one year and only federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, bank debt, or credit-card debt. And it is not the total debt your child would have upon graduation—that would require adding several years together, and that figure is not in this report.
The university also offers a guaranteed-tuition plan and an installment-payment plan, and it participates in a Promise program. It is worth asking about these options directly.
Campus Life, Learning Formats, and Available Support
There is institution-controlled housing, with capacity for 413 students. The university clarified that not all first-time, full-time students are required to live there—that does not mean no program has such a requirement, so it is worth confirming for your child’s specific major. Meal plans are also available, although the number of meals per week varies with the plan selected. Before removing room and board from the budget on the assumption that your child will live at home, request the exact rule that applies to the program.
If your child is interested in ROTC, the university reported two available branches: Army and Air Force. Navy is not marked as available. Its inclusion in the report does not automatically mean it is taught on this specific campus—ask about it by name before building a plan around it.
The university competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NAIA. That does not tell you which sports are available, how many roster spots exist, or whether any sport offers scholarships. If this matters to your child, contact the coach of the relevant sport directly.
As for learning formats, it offers distance education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Out of every 100 undergraduate students, 16 take their entire course load online, and 84 take at least one in-person class. It also reported having at least one complete program that can be taken through distance education, although the data do not specify whether that program is undergraduate or graduate.
The library has employed staff, annual expenditures exceeding $100,000, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary lending. The university also reports support such as combined academic and career counseling, employment services, a transition program for students with intellectual disabilities, and specific support for veterans and military service members, including participation in Yellow Ribbon. Reporting these services confirms that they exist as structures; it does not measure how well they work for a particular student. That is something to ask about with specific names and contacts before deciding.
The Numbers That Carry the Most Weight: Staying and Graduating
Here we reach the part that requires the most care, because these are the data from which it is easiest to draw the wrong conclusions.
Out of every 100 students who entered full time in fall 2022, 63 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. Compared with similar schools, this university is among those that retain the smallest share of their initial student cohort. Nine out of ten similar schools retain a higher proportion.
The graduation rate is the hardest figure in this profile, and I will give it to you plainly: of the 521 students who entered in 2017 as full-time bachelor’s-degree-seeking students, only 153 had graduated here six years later. That is 29 out of every 100. At four years—the timeframe most families budget for—the figure is only 12 out of every 100. Compared with its peers, it is at the very bottom of the table: nine out of ten similar schools report a higher proportion of graduates within six years.
But before this figure alarms you more than it should, it needs to be broken down, because 29 out of every 100 does not mean that 71 “failed.” Of those 521 students, 153 completed here, 211 transferred to another eligible institution without completing here (remember: transferring does not count as graduating from this school, even if they complete a degree elsewhere), 23 remained enrolled without completing within the timeframe, and 134 fell into the “no longer enrolled” category—which does not explain the reason and may include students who completed after the official timeframe.
There is a measure with a more generous timeframe that is worth knowing: at eight years, using a different and broader cohort of 1,772 students who entered in 2015-16, 67 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Compared with peers, that figure is above the median. Among Pell Grant recipients, the outcome is nearly identical: also 67 out of every 100. The one-point difference between the two groups does not mean the path was equally easy for everyone.
What these figures together tell you is this: the timeframe matters enormously. If your budget is designed strictly for four years, the relevant figure is difficult—12 out of every 100. If your family can support a fifth or sixth year, the picture changes substantially. Before committing, request in writing how long your child’s intended program typically takes, how required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost would change if attendance extends beyond four years.
What You Know Now, and What Comes Next
You now know, in as much depth as the official data allow, an important part of this decision: who Texas A&M University-San Antonio is, how it admits students, what it costs on paper and what other families ultimately pay, how its community functions, and what its own numbers say about retention and graduation.
This information does not tell you whether this university is right for your child. That depends on two other things that only your family can answer: what your child wants to study and what your child has accomplished so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. No figure in this article replaces those two conversations.
If you live in Texas, the sticker price here already works in your favor compared with the out-of-state rate. If your child is worried about feeling out of place among other Latino students, the composition of this community may be reassuring, although it is worth asking about specific support beyond the number. If your family’s plan depends on your child finishing in exactly four years, this is one of the most important conversations you should have before signing anything: ask directly, naming the specific major, how long it actually takes to complete the program.
No figure here makes the decision for you. But now, when the admission letter and financial-aid letter arrive, you will know exactly which questions to ask and which numbers to request in writing before saying yes.
Note on sources: The information in this article comes from official reports submitted by the institution to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), primarily covering the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, with comparisons within a census of 3,012 postsecondary institutions across the country. Best College Aid does not represent Texas A&M University-San Antonio or any government agency, and this article does not constitute personalized admission advice.