| Location: | Southwest |
| Setting: | Small Town Setting |
| Type: | Public |
| Size: | Large (5,000 to 10,000 Undergrad) |
| Mascots: | Buffaloes, Lady Buffs |
| Nickname: | WTAMU |
West Texas A&M University, a member of The Texas A&M University System, is dedicated to providing a high quality baccalaureate and graduate education using traditional delivery and distance learning where appropriate. West Texas A&M University is committed to serving as the principal academic, cultural, technical, service and research center of the multi-state region surrounding Canyon and Amarillo through the collective and individual efforts of the faculty, staff and students. West Texas A&M University's mission is to educate students to be informed, responsible, creative and articulate decision makers who will exercise good citizenship, appreciate diversity and be professionally competitive.
West Texas A&M University's major areas of emphasis include but are not limited to teacher preparation, business, agriculture, fine arts, health care and sciences. All programs shall be built upon a solid foundation of required courses in communication, history and political science, and studies which develop strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as an understanding of cultural diversity and an appreciation for the fine arts and humanities.
West Texas A&M University (also known as WTAMU, or WT), part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910. West Texas A&M University was originally called West Texas State Normal College and started out as one of the seven state-funded teacher colleges.
In the first school year, West Texas State Normal College had 152 students and 16 faculty members. Its first president was Robert B. Cousins. A year after the Texas State House of Representatives approved the bill to establish West Texas State Normal College, construction began on the school's Administration Building. It consisted of the school's only classrooms, laboratory, library, and offices. On March 25, 1914, the school burned down; however, classes continued in local churches, courthouses, and vacant buildings. Later, in 1916, a new Administration Building opened.
The first four-year college degrees were granted in 1919. In the following years the college was admitted to: American Association of Teachers Colleges in 1922, Association of Texas Colleges in 1923, and Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1925. The school changed its name to West Texas State Teachers College in 1923. In the early 1930s, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society built its Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum on the campus.
In 1948, a nonconformist leftist sociology professor, Joseph L. Duflot (1881-1957), created a sensation on campus when he told a meeting of the American Federation of Labor in Amarillo that "modern capitalism" is the "No. 1 enemy of the United States economy." A powerful legislator at the time, Sam Hanna of Dallas County, warned that state funding could be jeopardized for any college with "a communist" on the faculty. Though the West Texas regents first dismissed Duflot, he survived a second vote, and regent H.L. Mills praised him for "the courage of his convictions".
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| Percent of Students International: | 3% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 26% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Lone Star Conference) Basketball (Lone Star Conference) Baseball (Lone Star Conference) Track (Lone Star Conference) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | In-State | Out-of-State | |
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 3,348 | $ 10,524 | |
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 2,208 | $ 8,832 | |
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 936 | $ 936 | |
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 2,582 | 51% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 1,759 | 33% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 1,243 | 35% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 2,821 | 66% | |
Any Aid: |
77% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 73% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 36% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 399, Math: 402 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 625, Math: 618 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 75% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 17, Verbal: 14, Math: 16 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 26, Verbal: 26, Math: 26 |
| Application Fee: | $ 25.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Recommended |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Not Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
