Texas A&M University--College Station

“A tradition-rich flagship public research university where Aggie spirit, world-class engineering, and a 5,200-acre campus create a uniquely tight-knit community of over 70,000 students.”

Texas A&M University, founded in 1876 as Texas's first public institution of higher learning, has grown into one of the largest and most respected research universities in the nation. Located in College Station — a quintessential college town in the Brazos Valley — Texas A&M blends a land-grant mission with R1 research intensity, offering more than 140 undergraduate and 270 graduate degree programs across 17 colleges and schools. The College of Engineering alone enrolls over 22,500 students and consistently ranks among the top public engineering programs in the country, while Mays Business School, the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences are nationally recognized. What sets Texas A&M apart is its culture. The Aggie Network — one of the largest and most active alumni associations in the world — creates career pipelines that few schools can match. Campus life revolves around deeply held traditions like the 12th Man (the entire student section stands throughout every football game), Midnight Yell Practice (a pep rally held in Kyle Field at midnight before home games), Aggie Muster (an annual ceremony honoring deceased Aggies), and Silver Taps (a monthly tribute to currently enrolled students who have passed away). These traditions foster a sense of belonging and loyalty that stays with graduates for life. With over 1,000 student organizations, a nationally competitive athletics program in the SEC, the Corps of Cadets (the largest uniformed body outside the federal service academies), and a career placement rate exceeding 95%, Texas A&M offers the scale and resources of a major research university with the community feel of a much smaller school. The university's commitment to access is reflected in its No. 13 ranking among public universities for Best Value by U.S. News.