Lamar University

Public · Moderately Selective · TX

Photo: Larry D. Moore (CC BY 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationTX · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads8,150

Student:faculty20:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate19.1%

6-yr grad rate37.3%

Drop-out rate38.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$9k

Out-of-state tuition$19k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity62.3%

Gender diversity59.4%

International1%

Identity—

Overview

Lamar University sits in Beaumont, at the center of the Texas Gulf Coast's petrochemical corridor and only a few miles from Spindletop, the 1901 oil gusher that launched the modern Texas oil industry. Part of the Texas State University System, it combines an engineering core built for local refinery and chemical-plant employers with some of the largest online graduate programs in education in the country.

Academics

Chemical and industrial engineering are the university's signature strengths, with curricula and internships built around direct pipelines into the refineries and chemical plants of the surrounding Gulf Coast region — a genuine, close-at-hand industry connection few engineering programs can match. This gives engineering students unusually direct, local industry access, often converting internships into full-time offers before graduation. Education graduate programs, delivered largely online at scale, serve a much broader, often working-adult population well beyond the traditional undergraduate base, making Lamar as much a graduate-education institution as an undergraduate one in that respect.

Campus & student life

Beaumont is a mid-size industrial Gulf Coast city, and Lamar's campus culture reflects that practical, working-region identity more than a traditional college-town atmosphere. Cardinal athletics compete in the Southland Conference, giving campus a solid regional Division I sports culture without the scale of a flagship program. Student life mixes a residential core with a significant commuter population drawn from the broader Golden Triangle region, and the petrochemical industry's presence is felt as much in student career plans as in the local economy.

Getting in

Admission is generally accessible, with engineering applicants facing standard STEM preparation expectations rather than a holistic or essay-heavy review. The process is straightforward and credentials-based, consistent with Lamar's role as a regional access-oriented member of the Texas State University System. Online graduate education applicants go through a separate, more flexible admissions track suited to working adults returning for advanced degrees.

After graduation

Engineering graduates have a well-worn path directly into the petrochemical and industrial plants along the Gulf Coast, often starting with internships that convert to full-time offers with major refiners and chemical companies. Online education graduates typically move into or advance within Texas school districts, frequently while already working as teachers. The university's regional employer ties are its strongest career asset.

Worth knowing

Lamar's proximity to Spindletop and the Beaumont refining complex isn't just historical color — it's a real, practical advantage for engineering students seeking internships and entry-level jobs without leaving the region. The scale of the online graduate education programs means Lamar's student population, especially at the graduate level, skews older and more geographically dispersed than the undergraduate campus experience alone would suggest.

lamar.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate86.4%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 930–1140 · ACT 18–25

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying