The University of Texas System (UT System) is a public university system in the U.S. state of Texas. It includes nine universities and five independent health institutions. The UT System is headquartered in Downtown Austin. It is the largest university system in Texas with 250,000+ enrolled students, 21,000+ employed faculty, 83,000+ health care professionals, researchers and support staff. The UT System's $47.5 billion endowment (as of the 2024 fiscal year) is the largest of any public university system in the United States.

Component institutions

Academic institutions The University of Texas System includes nine universities, each of which confers its own degrees. Official name Abbrev. Location Estab. Joinedsystem Total Enrollment(Fall 2022)Undergrad Enrollment (Fall 2022)Graduate Enrollment (Fall 2022) Team name AthleticconferenceEndowment (Fall 2022) Refs Stephen F. Austin State University SFA Nacogdoches 1923 2023 11,232 9,772 1,460 Lumberjacks & Ladyjacks SouthlandNCAA D-I FCS $106,762,909 The University of Texas at Arlington UTAUT Arlington Arlington, Fort Worth 1895 1965 40,942 29,366 11,576 Mavericks UnitedNCAA D-I(non-football) $203,134,018"University of Texas at Arlington ". US News. Retrieved November 23, 2011."". College Portraits. Retrieved July 6, 2012. UTUT Austin Austin 1883 52,384 41,309 11,075 Longhorns SECNCAA D-I FBS $18,795,792,115 "". College Portraits. Retrieved July 6, 2012. The University of Texas at Dallas UTDUT DallasRichardson, Dallas 1961 1969 31,570 21,311 10,259 Comets Lone StarNCAA D-II (non-football) $746,071,702 "". College Portraits. Retrieved July 6, 2012. The University of Texas at El Paso UTEPUT El Paso El Paso 1913 1967 23,880 20,165 3,715 Miners Mountain WestNCAA D-I FBS $353,327,002 "UTEP". US News. Retrieved November 23, 2011."". College Portraits. Retrieved July 6, 2012. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley UTRGVUT Rio Grande ValleyEdinburg, Brownsville 2015 31,559 26,434 5,125 Vaqueros SouthlandNCAA D-I FCS $162,179,991 The University of Texas at San Antonio UTSAUT San Antonio San Antonio 1969 33,557 28,590 4,967 Roadrunners AmericanNCAA D-I FBS $264,163,030 "UTSA". US News. Retrieved November 23, 2011."UTSA Fact Book 2011 (New Undergraduates Section)". Office of Institutional Research. Retrieved April 28, 2012."". College Portrait. Retrieved July 6, 2012."". UTSA IR. Retrieved October 29, 2020. The University of Texas at Tyler UTTUT Tyler Tyler 1971 1979 9,064 6,960 2,104 Patriots Lone StarNCAA D-II (non-football) $188,738,734 "UT Tyler". US News. Retrieved November 23, 2011."". College Portraits. Retrieved February 21, 2013. The University of Texas Permian Basin UTPBUT Permian Basin Odessa 1973 5,250 4,288 962 Falcons Lone StarNCAA D-II $64,244,334 "UTPB". US News. Retrieved November 23, 2011."". College Portraits. Retrieved July 6, 2012.

Addition of Stephen F. Austin State University On November 29, 2022, the Board of Regents of Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) announced their decision to accept an invitation to join the UT System. This decision occurred following an announcement at the start of the fall semester by SFA President Steve Westbrook that the board was considering joining a system. At the time, Stephen F. Austin was one of two independent public universities in Texas, alongside Texas Southern University. The Texas A&M University System, the Texas Tech University System, and the Texas State University System all extended invitations as well. The decision to join the UT System was made following a process that included faculty, staff, student, and alumni input. Stephen F. Austin's addition to the UT System was approved by the Texas Legislature during the 2023 session. The identically worded House and Senate bills that would formally add SFA to the UT System specified that SFA would retain its name, but with the phrase "a member of The University of Texas System" appended to the legal school name. They also stated that SFA would be technically dissolved and then immediately reconstituted as a member of the UT System. The Senate unanimously passed its bill on April 16, 2023, and the House passed its version on April 26. Governor Greg Abbott signed the measure into law on May 10.

UT Brownsville and UT Pan American (UTRGV) merger

On June 14, 2013, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed a law officially approving the creation of a new university in South Texas within the UT System and replacing UT Brownsville and UT Pan American. The initiative resulted in a single institution, including a medical school, spanning the entire Rio Grande Valley, with a presence in each of the major metropolitan areas of Brownsville, Edinburg, Harlingen, and McAllen. On December 12, 2013, the UT Board of Regents voted to name the new university the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The new university began full operation in the 2015–16 school year. Official name Officialabbreviations Location Founded Joinedsystem Merged RefsThe University of Texas at Brownsville UTB UT BrownsvilleBrownsville 1973 1991 2015"University of Texas Brownsville". US News. Retrieved November 23, 2011."". College Portraits. Retrieved July 6, 2012.The University of Texas–Pan American UTPA UT Pan AmericanEdinburg 1927 1989"UTPA". US News. Retrieved November 23, 2011."". College Portrait. Retrieved July 6, 2012.

UT Tyler and UTHSC Tyler merger

In December 2019, the UT System Board of Regents unanimously agreed to merge The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (UTHSCT) under The University of Texas at Tyler (UTT), creating a single unified institution. Two months later, the UT System formally announced its intention to establish a new medical school that would be added under the new unified UT Tyler administration. It was to be the first medical school in the East Texas region.

On December 8, 2020, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Schools approved a plan to merge UT Tyler and UTHSCT. UTHSCT would retain its status as a health-related institution but come under the administration of UT Tyler. The UT System Board of Regents met in late December 2020 and took action on the implementation of the merger which began on January 1, 2021.

On January 4, 2021, the Board of Regents installed Kirk A. Calhoun, M.D. as president of the newly aligned UT Tyler and UTHSCT. As of January 4, these two institutions officially became one, and on January 15, 2021 the institution publicly named the new line of executive leadership for the merged institution.

The medical school opened in 2023.

Official name Officialabbreviations Location Founded Joinedsystem Merged RefsThe University of Texas at TylerUTT

UT TylerTyler 1971 1979 2021"UT Tyler Timeline ". UT Tyler. Retrieved January 17, 2021.The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler UTHSCT UT Health TylerTyler 1943 1977"Camp Fannin". TSHA. Retrieved January 17, 2021."East Texas Tuberculosis Sanatorium". TSHA. Retrieved January 17, 2021.

UTSA and UTHSCSA merger

In 2010, a study was commissioned to explore the possibility of merging UT San Antonio and UT Health San Antonio. Officials ultimately decided against it, citing significant costs, administrative challenges, and different university cultures. In 2016, an op-ed published in the San Antonio Express-News urged the UT System Board of Regents to reconsider their decision. It was announced in August 2024 that the Board of Regent voted to merge the two into one university, a merger completed on September 1, 2025

Official name Officialabbreviations Location Founded Joinedsystem Merged RefsThe University of Texas at San AntonioUTSA

UT San AntonioSan Antonio1969 2025The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio UTHSCSA UT Health San AntonioSan Antonio 1959 1967

Health institutions The University of Texas System has 4 independent health institutions. None are officially associated with any of the 4-year academic institutions, though some may have close relationships or special joint programs with them due to geographical location (Dallas–Fort Worth area institutions & or historical relationships (UT Austin & UT Medical Branch at Galveston).

UT MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the six schools at UT Health Science Center at Houston. Despite being officially associated under UT Houston, the UT System lists MD Anderson as a separate health institution due to its unique specialization.

Additionally, there are medical schools at UT Austin and UT Rio Grande Valley that are not directly affiliated with any of the independent health institutions. The third medical school organized under an academic institution in the UT System is UT Tyler Medical School, which began operations in 2023. UTSA and UTHSA completed their merger in 2025.

Independent UT Health institutions Official name Abbrev.Medical school Location Estab.Total Enrollment (Fall 2022)Undergrad Enrollment (Fall 2022)Graduate Enrollment (Fall 2022)Endowment (Fall 2022) RefsThe University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston UTH or UTHSCH UTHealth or

UT HoustonMcGovern Medical SchoolHouston 1972 5,319 554 4,765 $899,272,216 The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTMDA MD AndersonN/A (associated with UT Houston)Houston, Katy, League City, Memorial City, Sugar Land, The Woodlands 1941 364 337 27 $1,729,114,508 The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston UTMB UT GalvestonJohn Sealy School of MedicineGalveston 1891 3,291 581 2,710 $779,202,806 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center UTSW UT SouthwesternUTSW Medical SchoolDallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, Irving, Richardson 1943 2,351 N/A (Graduate students only) 2,351 $3,157,125,475

Medical schools within academic institutions Medical school Academic institution affiliation Location Estab. RefsDell Medical SchoolUT AustinAustin 2013UTRGV School of MedicineUT Rio Grande ValleyHarlingen, Brownsville, Edinburg 2013 Long School of Medicine UTSA San Antonio 1959 (merged with UTSA in 2025)UT Tyler School of MedicineUT TylerTyler2023

Attempted academic and health institutions mergers Dallas–Fort Worth

In 2001 the 77th Texas Legislature proposed HB 3568, which would have merged all Dallas–Fort Worth UT System institutions (UT Dallas, UT Arlington, and UT Southwestern) under the name "The University of Texas at Dallas". UTD's Richardson campus would have been designated as the main campus, UTA's Arlington campus would have become a satellite campus, and UTSW's Dallas campus would have become the merged university's medical school. The purpose was to help the metroplex gain one unified flagship-level university, but the House Bill ultimately failed to pass due to objections from UT Arlington (which wanted to retain its identity as a separate university) and the lack of time to properly explain the complex process to state representatives.

Houston

In 2015, the UT System purchased 300 acres of land in the Houston area for $215 million for the development of a research campus, spearheaded by then-Chancellor William H. McRaven. While the UT System publicly denied plans to build a new university on the land, the land acquisition drew criticism from the University of Houston System and several Texas State Senators, notably John Whitmire, focusing on the UT System encroaching on the UH System, given the UT System's access to the Permanent University Fund, as well as the process by which the land was purchased. In 2017, the UT System announced it would be cancelling plans for the Houston campus.

Students

Racial and/or ethnic background Demographic information of the total student population at all UT system academic and health institutions compared to 2020 US Census data. UT System Students (2022) Texas (Census 2020) US (Census 2020) Asian 14% 5.7% 6.3% Black 8% 13.4% 13.6% Hispanic 50% 40.2% 19.1% White (Non-Hispanic) 23% 39.8% 58.9% International student 3% N/A N/A Other races or unknown 3% 0.9% 2.1%

Undergraduate student success metrics