Lamar University, often referred to as Lamar or LU, is a comprehensive coeducational public research university located in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar confers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees and is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education. Lamar has been a member of The Texas State University System since 1995 and was previously the flagship institution of the now defunct Lamar University System. As of Fall 2011, the university had 14,522 students, the highest enrollment in the university’s 88-year history.

Lamar University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Lamar is characterized as a National University in the 2011 edition of U.S. News & World Report. Lamar is a member of the stateu online academic partnership that offers high school students the ability to earn college credits before college. Lamar was one of 10 colleges nationwide named to the Great Colleges to Work For Honor Roll by the Chronicle of Higher Education in 2009. In July 2010 Lamar was chosen to join the Gulf Project, a coalition of scientists, policy experts and researchers working to protect Texas’ economy and environment in the event of a disaster such as the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.