Sam Houston State University is a public institution that was founded in 1879. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 15,611, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 211 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Sam Houston State University's ranking in the 2014 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, Tier 2.

Sam Houston State University is one of the most innovative and diverse universities in Texas.As the first teacher-training school in the Southwest, SHSU now has more than 18,000 students and 140 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. SHSU, a "Community Engaged" institution, is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education and was recently recognized by U.S. News and World Report for being among the best in the country for online graduate programs.