What Sul Ross State University does

Sul Ross State University (SRSU) is a public comprehensive university founded in 1917 and operated by the Texas State University System, headquartered in Alpine, Texas, with additional campuses in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde, plus course offerings at Midland College and Odessa College. The institution serves undergraduate and graduate students through over 60 degree programs across six colleges, including the newly launched Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership — the first doctoral program in its 109-year history. Its academic delivery stack is conventional: Ellucian Banner for student information systems, Blackboard for learning management, and Microsoft Office 365 for productivity, with no AI-native components documented.

The university operates four specialized research institutes — the Borderlands Research Institute (BRI), Center for Big Bend Studies, Meadows Research Institute for West Texas Water, and the Museum of the Big Bend — that anchor institutional identity around the Chihuahuan Desert Borderlands region. Federal TRIO programs (Student Support Services, McNair Scholars), the Lobo Pantry food-security initiative, and a Law Enforcement Academy round out its portfolio of student support and community-facing services.

SRSU's revenue derives from three primary streams: tuition and fees (in-state and out-of-state per Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board guidelines), government grants and state appropriations through the Texas State University System, and private grants and donations (notably from the San Antonio Livestock Exposition, The Welch Foundation, and Swipe Out Hunger). The institution has been a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution since 1999 and earned the Seal of Excelencia in 2024, positioning it for continued Title III and HSI grant eligibility. No operating revenue figure is publicly disclosed in available sources.

Name

Sul Ross State University

Legal name

Sul Ross State University

Website

https://sulross.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sul Ross State University is a public Texas regional university founded in 1917, operating four campuses across Far West Texas and offering 60+ associate through doctoral degree programs, specialized Borderlands research institutes, and TRIO student support services funded by tuition, state appropriations, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Public higher education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Borderlands research
• TRIO student support

Headquarters

HQ city

Alpine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition along with associated fees for educational services.
2. Government Grants and Appropriations: State funding through Texas State University System and federal grants including TRIO Student Support Services ($160 students/year), TRIO McNair Scholars Program, and various research grants.
3. Private Grants and Donations: Funding from organizations such as The Welch Foundation for chemistry research, San Antonio Livestock Exposition ($60,000 for BRI graduate scholarships), Swipe Out Hunger grants for Lobo Pantry, and general donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sul Ross State University is a public four-year university that delivers associate, baccalaureate, master's, and (newly) doctoral degrees across more than 60 degree plans in agriculture, life and physical sciences, literature/arts/social sciences, education, health sciences, humanities and sciences, and business. Education is provided through four campuses in Far West Texas and the Middle Rio Grande region (Alpine main residential campus, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde Rio Grande College campuses), online learning, dual credit for high school students, and transfer partnerships with community colleges. The university supplements teaching with specialized research institutes (Borderlands Research Institute, Center for Big Bend Studies, Meadows Research Institute), TRIO-funded student support services, NCAA and NIRA athletics, and community-facing programs such as the Small Business Development Center and Museum of the Big Bend.

Product overview

Sul Ross State University is a comprehensive public university offering a diverse portfolio of academic programs and student services across multiple campuses. The institution provides face-to-face and online degree programs from associate to doctoral levels through six academic colleges: College of Agriculture, Life and Physical Sciences (ALPS); Jimmy D. Case College of Literature, Arts and Social Sciences (CASE); College of Education; College of Graduate Studies; College of Health Sciences; and College of Humanities & Sciences; plus Rio Grande College of Business. The university operates alongside specialized research institutes (Borderlands Research Institute, Center for Big Bend Studies, Meadows Research Institute) and cultural facilities (Museum of the Big Bend). Student support infrastructure includes TRIO programs (Student Support Services, McNair Scholars), the Lobo Pantry food security initiative, and Tutoring and Learning Center. Programs are delivered via Blackboard LMS with Ellucian Banner SIS for registration. The institution serves as a Hispanic Serving Institution since 1999 with small class sizes and over 60 degree plans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TRIO Student Support Services Federally funded TRIO program providing academic advising, tutoring, mentoring, career and major counseling, personal support, financial aid counseling, and graduate admission assistance to 160 first-generation, low-income, and/or students with disabilities per year.
• McNair Scholars Program Federal TRIO program preparing undergraduate students for doctoral studies through faculty-mentored research involvement and a summer research institute with stipends.
• Lobo Pantry On-campus food pantry addressing student food insecurity, offering monthly pantry visits, produce distributions via West Texas Food Bank partnership, and referral services from Ferguson Hall 108.
• Borderlands Research Institute (BRI) Research institute that conserves Chihuahuan Desert Borderlands resources through research, education, and outreach, offering graduate scholarships in Range and Wildlife Management whose graduates influence wildlife management on over 31 million acres across Texas.
• Center for Big Bend Studies Institute dedicated to the recovery, protection, and sharing of the Big Bend region's cultural legacy through research, education, public outreach, and publication programs.
• Meadows Research Institute for West Texas Water Research institute advancing collaborative water solutions in Far West Texas through applied research, education, and technical expertise serving communities, landowners, and landscapes across the Trans-Pecos region.
• Museum of the Big Bend Museum on the SRSU Alpine campus showcasing regional art, history, and culture of the Big Bend area, hosting summer art camps and traveling Smithsonian exhibitions.
• Tutoring and Learning Center Academic support services including the Lobo Guide Program (peer tutoring), Peer Tutor Program, Study Abroad Program, Experiential Learning, and Title V EL Camino Del Lobo AL Exito initiative.
• Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Business development support services for small businesses in the region with locations in Alpine and Rio Grande College campuses.
• Law Enforcement Academy Law enforcement training academy providing certification and professional development for law enforcement officers in the Big Bend region.
• SRSU Honors Program Honors program providing enhanced academic opportunities for high-achieving students with specialized coursework and research experiences.
• Online Learning Distance education and online course delivery through Blackboard LMS, offering flexible learning options for undergraduate and graduate students across all campus locations.
• Graduate Studies Graduate-level education offering master's degrees across multiple disciplines and the first doctoral program (Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership) in the university's 109-year history.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Texas Higher Education Collaborative for Wellbeing (THECW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRSU participates in THECW, a statewide initiative helping students thrive academically and personally. Led by Katy Williams and Dr. Alicia Trotman, the initiative uses the Wellbeing Improvement Survey for Higher Education Settings (WISHES) to gather data and develop strategies for student well-being.
• West Texas Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRSU's Lobo Pantry partners with West Texas Food Bank to combat food insecurity for college students. The partnership provides access to food products and connects the university with other community organizations and resources. West Texas Food Bank is the largest non-profit, non-governmental hunger relief organization in the Permian Basin.
• Southwest Texas Junior CollegecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSRSU works in partnership with Southwest Texas Junior College where students complete the first two years and then transfer to SRSU at Del Rio, Eagle Pass, or Uvalde campuses to complete their Bachelor's Degrees and continue into Master's Level work.
• Texas Historical CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Texas Historical Commission chose the Museum of the Big Bend at SRSU to host the Smithsonian traveling exhibit 'Spark! Places of Innovation' as part of the Museum on Main Street program.
• Midland CollegeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSRSU offers courses and programs at Midland College location as part of extended educational access.
• Odessa CollegeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSRSU offers courses and programs at Odessa College location as part of extended educational access.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lamar University: Fellow Texas State University System member with broader engineering and graduate program portfolio; comparable as a system peer for budget allocation benchmarking within TSUS.
• Stephen F. Austin State University: Former TSUS peer now in the UT System; similar regional public university profile with comparable size and a forestry/wildlife research tradition that mirrors aspects of Sul Ross's BRI focus.
• Texas State University: Fellow member of the Texas State University System and the system's flagship, offering a much broader portfolio of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Comparable as a sister-system peer for benchmarking TSUS funding dynamics and enrollment strategy, but operates at substantially larger scale.
• Sam Houston State University: Fellow Texas State University System institution with broader program portfolio and larger enrollment. Useful comparable for TSUS governance, appropriations, and shared administrative dynamics.

Direct peers

• Angelo State University: Small public Texas university with a similar rural/regional footprint and comparable enrollment scale; was a TSUS peer before joining the Texas Tech University System. Directly comparable on size, mission, and reliance on state appropriations.
• Texas A&M International University: Laredo-based public university designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution with similar border-region positioning, comparable enrollment scale, and significant TRIO program infrastructure.
• Tarleton State University: Rural-adjacent Texas public university with comparable enrollment scale and emphasis on agricultural and natural resource sciences that parallel Sul Ross's ALPS college and ranch-based programs.
• University of Texas Permian Basin: Regional public university serving a similar West Texas/oil-and-gas market with a comparable small-to-mid enrollment footprint and similar mix of upper-level and graduate delivery models through branch campuses.
• Texas A&M University-Kingsville: South Texas public university with comparable enrollment scale, Hispanic Serving Institution designation, and emphasis on natural resource and wildlife programs that overlap with Sul Ross's Borderlands Research Institute focus.
• New Mexico State University: Land-grant public university serving a similar border-region market with a Hispanic Serving Institution designation and a parallel research-and-extension footprint on natural resource management in arid landscapes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sulrossstate
• Xx.com/sul_ross
• Facebookfacebook.com/157197261017755

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sul Ross State University