Texas A&M is Texas’ first public institution of higher education. The university came about due to the Morrill Act, approved by the United States Congress on July 2, 1862. On Oct. 4, 1876, the college began instruction with 40 students and six faculty members. Admission was limited to white males, and the Morrill Act required all students to participate in Corps of Cadets military training.

There were many changes to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in the 1960s under the presidency of Gen. James Earl Rudder. Under his tenure, the college diversified, opening its doors to African Americans and women. In 1963, the Texas Legislature changed the school’s name from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas to Texas A&M University. The "A" and "M" became a symbolic link to the school's past but no longer officially stood for "Agricultural and Mechanical”. Participation in the Corps of Cadets was also made voluntary in 1965.

Since that time, Texas A&M has flourished to become one of the nation's premier research universities. In 1971 and 1989, respectively, Texas A&M was designated as a sea-grant and a space-grant institution, making it among the first four universities to hold the triple distinction of land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant designations. Texas A&M remains one of only six senior military colleges, and the Corps of Cadets is the largest uniformed body outside the national service academies.

The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum opened in 1997 on west campus, making Texas A&M one of only a few universities to host a presidential library on their campus. President Bush maintained an active role in the university, hosting and participating in special events organized through the library. Upon President and Mrs. Bush passing away in 2018, they were buried with their daughter on the grounds of the library and are continually celebrated by the community.