Lamar State College-Orange (LSCO) is an open-admissions, lower-division state institution of higher education within the Texas State University System (TSUS). The basic mission involves academic transfer, technical training, developmental programs, customized training and community service.

Lamar State College-Orange originally opened as an extension center of Lamar University in the fall of 1969. The Texas Legislature passed legislation allowing Lamar University to operate a two-year educational center, thus removing the extension status and allowing students to take two full years of coursework on the Orange campus. In 1989, LSC-O applied and received independent accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Since that time facilities, enrollment and course offerings have grown steadily. Academic programs are offered in five divisions: liberal arts, mathematics and science, business and technology, allied health, and education.

Lamar State College-Orange currently has a student body of approximately 2,100. Two-year academic transfer programs are offered in business, communication, computer science, criminal justice, education, liberal arts, natural science, and sociology. These academic programs lead to associate of science degrees and will transfer to four-year institutions for students seeking baccalaureate degrees. Thirty technical programs are available, leading to associate of applied science degrees, certificates of completion, and institutional awards. Several of the technical programs will also transfer to four-year degrees including those in information technology and process operations.