Texas Christian University facts for kids
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Former name
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Add-Ran Male & Female College (1873–1889) Add-Ran Christian University (1889–1902) |
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| Motto |
Disciplina est Facultas
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Motto in English
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"Knowledge is power" |
| Type | Private research university |
| Established | 1873 |
| Accreditation | SACS |
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Religious affiliation
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Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) |
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Academic affiliations
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| Endowment | $2.6 billion (2023) |
| Chancellor | Victor Boschini |
| Provost | Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg |
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Academic staff
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981 (623 Full-time) |
| Students | 12,785 (Fall 2023) |
| Undergraduates | 10,915 (Fall 2023) |
| Postgraduates | 1,820 (Fall 2023) |
| Location |
,
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United States
32°42′35″N 97°21′50″W / 32.7096°N 97.3640°W |
| Campus | Large city, 325 acres (132 ha) |
| Newspaper | TCU 360 |
| Colors | Purple and white |
| Nickname | Horned Frogs |
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Sporting affiliations
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| Mascot | Horned Frog |
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Texas Christian University (often called TCU) is a private university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was started in 1873 by two brothers, Addison and Randolph Clark. Back then, it was known as the AddRan Male & Female College. TCU is connected to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
The university's campus is about 4 miles (6.5 km) from downtown Fort Worth. It covers about 302 acres. TCU has nine different colleges and schools. It is known as a university that does a lot of important research. In 2022, it received about $19 million for research and development.
TCU's mascot is Superfrog, who looks like the horned frog, a reptile found in Texas. TCU's sports teams, called the Horned Frogs, compete in the Big 12 Conference of the NCAA's Division I. In fall 2023, about 12,785 students were enrolled at TCU. Most of them, 10,915, were undergraduate students.
Contents
History of TCU
How TCU Started (1869–1873)
Texas Christian University was founded by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark. Their father, Joseph A. Clark, also supported them. The Clark brothers were teachers and preachers who believed strongly in education.
After serving in the Civil War, Addison and Randolph wanted to open a school for children in Fort Worth. This school, called the Male & Female Seminary of Fort Worth, operated from 1869 to 1874. The brothers dreamed of creating a university that would teach Christian values but also be open to new ideas. In 1869, they bought five city blocks in downtown Fort Worth for their college.
However, Fort Worth changed a lot between 1867 and 1874. The Chisholm Trail, used to move cattle, brought many people and businesses to the city. The area the Clarks bought for their college soon became known as "Hell's Half Acre" because it had many saloons and gambling halls. So, the Clarks found a new place for their college. They moved to Thorp Spring, a small town about 40 miles (64 km) southwest in Hood County.
Moving to Thorp Spring (1873–1895)
In 1873, the Clark brothers moved to Thorp Spring and started Add-Ran Male & Female College. TCU still considers 1873 as its founding year. The AddRan College of Liberal Arts at TCU today carries on the name of this original college.
Add-Ran College was one of the first schools west of the Mississippi River to allow both boys and girls to study together. The college grew quickly. It started with only 13 students in the fall of 1873. Soon, it had between 200 and 400 students each year. Students came from over 100 counties in Texas. The Clark brothers also brought in excellent professors from all over the South.
In 1889, Add-Ran College officially partnered with the group that would become the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In the same year, the school changed its name to Add-Ran Christian University.
Moving to Waco (1895–1910)
The university needed a bigger city and better transportation. So, from 1895 to 1910, it moved to Waco. It bought the campus of a college that had closed, the Waco Female College. In 1902, the school was renamed Texas Christian University, or TCU.
During its 15 years in Waco, TCU started playing intercollegiate football in 1896. It also chose its school colors, purple and white, and its unique Horned Frog mascot. This move also started the friendly competition between TCU and Baylor University, another school in Waco.
Returning to Fort Worth (1910–Present)
In 1910, a fire destroyed the university's main administration building. Plans were made to rebuild. But before that could happen, some business people in Fort Worth offered the university $200,000 (which would be over $5 million today) and a 50-acre (200,000 m2) campus. This offer convinced TCU to return to Fort Worth. This brought TCU back to where it began, completing its journey from a small frontier college to a city university.
In 1910–1911, the TCU campus in Fort Worth had four buildings. These were Clark Hall and Goode Hall for men, Jarvis Hall for women, and the Main Administration building (now called Reed Hall).
In 1923, TCU received its first large gift from Mary Couts Burnett. She was the widow of Samuel Burk Burnett, a rancher and oilman. She gave half of her late husband's estate, which was $4 million (worth over $80 million today). She also left her entire estate, including part of the large 6666 ("Four Sixes") Ranch, to TCU in her will. The Mary Couts Burnett Library is named after her.
TCU Campus Life
Campus Buildings and Design
TCU's campus covers about 302 acres (1.2 km2) and is located four miles (6.5 km) from downtown Fort Worth.
The campus is generally split into three parts: where students live, where classes are held, and Worth Hills. University Drive, a street lined with oak trees, separates the two main areas. Residence halls, the Student Union, and the Campus Commons are west of University Drive. The library, chapel, and most academic buildings are to the east. All the streets around TCU are lined with live oaks.
About half of TCU's undergraduate students live on campus. There are 16 different residence halls and apartment complexes for students.
Most buildings at TCU are made with a special golden brick called "TCU buff." They also have red-tile roofs. The oldest buildings on campus have columns.
One building that looks different is Robert Carr Chapel. It was the first building on campus not made with TCU buff bricks. It's built with a unique salmon-colored brick. This was a big change, and some alumni even protested when it opened in 1953.
TCU is also home to the Starpoint School. This is a special school for students in grades 1–6 who learn differently. Starpoint works to find new ways to help students with learning disabilities. The KinderFrogs School, a pre-school for children with Down syndrome, is in the same building. TCU is the only university in the country with two such special education schools on its campus.
Since 2006, many parts of the campus have been updated. Old buildings have been fixed up or replaced. The old Student Center was torn down in 2008. In its place, Scharbauer Hall opened in 2010. It holds many offices and classrooms for the AddRan College. Other buildings, like Erma Lowe Hall (for dance) and the W. Oliver and Nell A. Harrison Building (for Brite Divinity School), have also been renovated or built recently.
The Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU, which seats 717 people, opened in 2022. The TCU Music Center opened in 2020.
Academics at TCU
How to Get In
TCU is known for being "more selective" when it comes to admitting students. For the class that started in fall 2023, TCU received over 20,500 applications. It accepted about 8,740 students, which is about 42.6%. Out of those accepted, 2,488 decided to attend TCU.
Students who enroll at TCU often have good test scores. For the class of 2025, the middle 50% of students scored between 1140 and 1345 on the SAT. On the ACT, the middle 50% scored between 26 and 31.
TCU has seen a big increase in applications. In 2011, over 19,000 students applied, which was 5,000 more than in 2010. This growth is partly because TCU gained national attention after winning the 2011 Rose Bowl. However, the university has been growing steadily for a while. In 2000, only about 4,500 students applied.
What You Can Study
TCU is a university that focuses on higher-level research. It is approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. As of 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranks TCU among the top 100 national universities.
The university offers many different programs. You can choose from 117 undergraduate majors, 62 master's programs, and 25 doctoral programs. Some of the most popular majors are Business, which about 25% of students choose, and Journalism/Strategic Communications, chosen by about 20% of students. Nursing and Education are also very popular. Many students even choose to study more than one subject.
The Neeley School of Business at TCU is one of the top business schools in the country. Bloomberg Businessweek recently ranked it as the No. 28 best undergraduate business school. The school is growing, thanks to donations like the $500,000 from alumnus Abe Issa. This money will help build the Abe Issa Field Sales Lab.
TCU also works with the U.S. military. It hosts programs for the ROTC for both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army. These programs help students become officers after they graduate. Since 1951, nearly 1,000 TCU graduates have become Army officers through ROTC.
During World War II, TCU was one of 131 colleges that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program. This program helped students become Navy officers.
TCU has several colleges and schools:
- AddRan College of Liberal Arts
- Bob Schieffer College of Communication
- College of Education
- College of Fine Arts
- College of Science and Engineering
- Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences
- M. J. Neeley School of Business
- Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine
- School of Interdisciplinary Studies
- John V. Roach Honors College
TCU also hosts the Brite Divinity School, which is a separate school on campus. Its students can use all of TCU's facilities. In 2015, TCU and the University of North Texas Health Science Center announced they would create a medical school together. The first class of 60 students started in 2019.
The university also runs the 450-acre southern white rhinoceros preserve, called the TCU Rhino Initiative. Doctor Michael Slattery started this program in 2014.
Student Life at TCU
Who Are the Students?
In 2023–2024, TCU had 12,785 students. About 10,915 were undergraduate students, and 1,870 were graduate students. About 62% of the students are women, and 38% are men. Undergraduate students come from all 50 states, with about 48% from Texas.
Majors like nursing, education, and advertising tend to attract more women. Business, political science, and many liberal arts majors have a more even mix of men and women. Even in fields like engineering and science, where there are usually more men, TCU often has a higher percentage of female students compared to other universities.
Most students and teachers at TCU are non-Hispanic white. However, the number of minority students has been growing, especially Hispanic students. The school has also worked to increase diversity by hosting special weekends for Black and Hispanic high school seniors. They also offer full scholarships to talented minority students from North Texas who come from less wealthy backgrounds.
Student Groups and Events
TCU has over 200 official student organizations. These include groups like Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity, and Invisible Children. Students can also play intramural sports like basketball or join hobby groups like the TCU Quidditch League.
Many students join campus religious groups. Some popular ones are Disciples on Campus (a Christian Church group), Ignite (a non-denominational Christian group), Catholic Community, TCU Wesley (a Methodist group), and Cru (another non-denominational Christian group). While most religious groups are Christian, TCU also supports Hillel for Jewish students and the Muslim Students Association (MSA). Each year, students can also choose to live in the Interfaith Living Learning Community, where they live with neighbors of different religious beliefs.
At the start of each fall semester, TCU's student government holds a big concert on the Campus Commons. Famous artists like Pat Green, OneRepublic, Lady Antebellum, The Fray, Blake Shelton, Little Big Town, and Jason Derulo have performed. These fall concerts are free for all students.
Student Media
The Bob Schieffer College of Communication has several student-run publications:
- "Skiff x 360"
- TCU360.com
- Image Magazine is TCU's student magazine. It comes out once a semester and looks into campus issues.
- The Horned Frog is the school yearbook.
- TCU has its own radio station, KTCU-FM 88.7, called "The Choice." You can hear KTCU throughout much of Fort Worth/Dallas. It plays music, talk shows, and broadcasts live TCU football, basketball, and baseball games.
Another student-run media is:
- eleven40seven.
Greek Life
About 50% of undergraduate students at TCU are part of Greek life. There are many fraternities and sororities on campus.
Being Green at TCU
TCU has a "Purple Bike" program. Students can use purple bicycles for free instead of cars. Scharbauer Hall, which opened in 2010, is a "Gold LEED certified facility." This means it was built using environmentally friendly methods.
In 2010, TCU teachers and staff held a conference about being green and fair to everyone. These topics are also important in the classes and programs offered by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in Scharbauer Hall.
TCU Sports
TCU competes in NCAA Division I sports as a member of the Big 12 Conference (Big XII). For most of its history (1923–1996), TCU was part of the Southwest Conference (SWC), which no longer exists. Before joining the Big XII in 2012, TCU spent seven years in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) (2005–2011). Before that, they were in Conference USA (C-USA) from 2001 to 2005, and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) for five years (1996 to 2001).
TCU has eight men's sports teams and twelve women's sports teams. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming & diving, track & field, cross country, and tennis. Women's sports include basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball, golf, swimming & diving, cross country, track & field, triathlon, soccer, rifle, equestrian, and tennis.
In recent years, the university has greatly improved its sports facilities. The Abe-Martin Academic Enhancement Center was finished in August 2008. The entire Amon G. Carter Football Stadium was rebuilt in September 2012, with more expansion in 2019. The Daniel-Meyer Coliseum was also rebuilt and became Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena for the 2015–16 basketball season. It now has more seats, better food options, and luxury areas for fans.
Football
The Horned Frogs football team has won two national championships, one in 1935 and another in 1938. They also played in the championship game in 2023, losing to the Georgia Bulldogs. The team has won eighteen conference championships. Many famous football players have played for TCU, including Sammy Baugh, Davey O'Brien, Jim Swink, Bob Lilly, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Andy Dalton.
Rivalries
TCU has several sports rivalries. The oldest and most famous one, especially since TCU joined the Big 12 Conference, is The Revivalry with Baylor University. This is a unique rivalry between two church-affiliated schools. It's also one of the oldest rivalries in the country, dating back to 1899. TCU currently leads the series 54-52-7.
The TCU Horned Frogs also have a historic rivalry with the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. SMU is in Dallas, which is Fort Worth's sister city. In football, TCU and SMU have played each other every year in the Battle for the Iron Skillet since 1946. The tradition started when an SMU fan was frying frog legs before a game as a joke. A TCU fan saw this as disrespectful to their "Horned Frog" mascot. He said they should let the game decide who gets the skillet and the frog legs. SMU won that game, and the skillet and frog legs went to SMU. Now, the Iron Skillet is a trophy that the winning team gets to keep until the next game.
West Virginia University has also become a rival. This is partly because both schools joined the Big 12 Conference at the same time in 2012. Also, their football games have often been very close and exciting, with last-minute wins.
TCU also has a major rivalry with Boise State University. In the 2000s, both teams were known as "BCS Busters" because they often challenged top teams. They were in the Mountain West Conference together for one year. In 2011, TCU won their only conference game against Boise State with no time left on the clock. This rivalry will not be played as often in the future because TCU moved to the "Power Conference" Big 12, while Boise State remains a top "mid-major" team.
Notable Alumni
TCU has more than 100,000 living alumni, which are former students who graduated from the university.
See also
In Spanish: Universidad Cristiana de Texas para niños
