The University of Texas System (UT System) is a network of public universities run by the State of Texas. It includes eight universities and six health institutions.

The university system has a total enrollment of about 240,000 students and an operating budget of $23 billion.

The eight UT System universities are located in Arlington, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, Tyler, and the Permian Basin. The largest UT institution by student enrollment is UT Austin with more than 50,000 students.

The UT System health institutions include medical schools in Austin, Galveston, San Antonio, and Houston, the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and a health science center in Tyler.

The UT System’s administrative headquarters is in Austin. The system as a whole employs about 21,000 faculty and 83,000 staff, researchers, and health care professionals.

Each year, UT institutions award more than one-third of all undergraduate degrees in Texas and more than half of all health professional degrees.

Mission Statement

“The mission of The University of Texas System is to improve the human condition in Texas, our nation and our world. The System will use its size, diversity, and quality to advance education, push the bounds of discovery, enhance population health, build stronger communities and shape public policy for the common good. Producing high quality human capital with a sense of service and the ability to lead, we will pursue solutions to the problems of our state, our nation and our world. We are a state university system with global impact.”

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees vary across the UT System. The figures below represent the average amounts charged to resident undergraduates enrolled in 15 semester credit hours in the fall semester 2022, as reported by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:

  • UT Permian Basin: $4,842
  • UT Arlington: $5,864
  • UT Austin: $5,849
  • UT Dallas: $8,206
  • UT El Paso: $5,098
  • UT San Antonio: $5,867
  • UT Tyler: $5,144
  • UT Rio Grande Valley: $4,521
  • Statewide average (public universities): $5,252

A student’s actual charges may vary based on the student’s classification and level of enrollment, the college the student attends within the university, the student’s specific personal circumstances, and other factors.

University Funding

The UT System originated in the 1876 state constitution, which dedicated about one million acres of land to create the Permanent University Fund. The fund’s holdings have since grown to include 2.1 million acres, as well as investments. The UT System derives revenues from mineral interests on these lands, such as oil and gas leases, and grazing fees.

Other sources of UT funding include gifts, investment income, state appropriations, and revenue from hospital operations.

The Permanent University Fund and the UT endowment are managed by UTIMCO, a joint investment management company created by the UT System and the Texas A&M System.

Board of Regents

The University of Texas System is governed by a board of regents, composed of nine members who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate.

Terms for regents are scheduled for six years each and staggered so that three members’ terms will usually expire on February 1 of odd-numbered years. In addition, the governor appoints a student regent for a one-year term.

Administration

University of Texas System Chancellor James Milliken
Chancellor James Milliken

The chancellor is the chief executive officer of the UT System and reports to the board of regents. He has management responsibility for all aspects of the UT System’s operations.

The administration of the UT System is further organized into six executive offices, each headed by an executive vice chancellor or vice chancellor:

  • Office of Academic Affairs
  • Office of Health Affairs
  • Office of Business Affairs
  • Office of External Relations, Communications and Advancement Services
  • Office of General Counsel
  • Office of Governmental Relations

Organizational Chart

University of Texas organizational chart

Last update: November 1, 2021

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