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Tarleton State outlines Fort Worth expansion, downtown role in Texas A&M Fort Worth project
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Summary
Tarleton State representatives told the committee the Fort Worth campus serves roughly 2,700 students, is the only four‑year public institution inside Fort Worth city limits, and plans major campus growth, a new campus exit and a downtown presence tied to the Texas A&M Fort Worth Law and Education Building opening Aug. 5, 2026.
Tarleton State University officials on Wednesday told the Legislative Intergovernmental Affairs Committee that the Fort Worth campus will expand its academic and health‑science capacity and take part in the downtown Texas A&M Fort Worth innovation project.
"Right now, Tarleton State Fort Worth is the only 4 year public institution in the city of Fort Worth," said Rachel Capua, who introduced the university’s Fort Worth updates. She said the campus currently enrolls just under 2,700 students, including about 1,800 undergraduates and just under 900 graduate students.
Capua framed the Fort Worth site as an anchor in Southwest Fort Worth on roughly 80 acres donated in 2014 by the Walton Development Group. She said the campus has invested in an Interprofessional Education building that opened in 2024 and is prioritizing health sciences—where the university recently proposed creating a college of osteopathic medicine focused on rural health.
Capua said Tarleton is updating its master plan for a traditional campus and highlighted the university’s "Rooted and Rising" campaign, which she described as communicating the institution’s long‑term commitment to Fort Worth.
The university also described planned transportation improvements to improve campus access. Capua said the city and NTTA have provided exit designs for what will be renamed Tarleton State Parkway; she said the project is expected to break ground in 2026 with an anticipated opening in 2028.
Capua said Tarleton will also hold space downtown as part of the Texas A&M Fort Worth project. "The grand opening/ribbon cutting was just announced for 08/05/2026," she said, adding that Tarleton will occupy portions of the sixth, seventh and eighth floors of the Law and Education Building; she said the sixth floor will contain most classrooms and health‑science labs.
Looking ahead, Capua told the committee the Fort Worth campus is planned to grow substantially in the long term. "It will be, fully built about 10,000 to 15,000 students just here in the city of Fort Worth for Tarleton State," she said, and the university is coordinating pipelines with local institutions such as Tarrant County College and local school districts.
Committee members thanked Tarleton representatives for the update. No formal action was taken on the presentation.
The university provided handouts and a website for more information at tarleton.edu/visionfortworth, and staff said they will supply materials to committee members who did not receive them during the meeting.
