The Office of Institutional Research and Analysis (OIRA) expands and transforms traditional institutional research (IR) data into timely and meaningful information to reinforce The University of Texas System's mission, initiatives and policy decisions.
OIRA monitors the broader higher education environment at the system, state, and national levels, and uses that knowledge along with in-depth research and analysis to make recommendations that inform policy decisions and business strategy. It supports a data culture at the UT System that fosters integrity, innovation, transparency, collaboration, communication, and best practices. OIRA supports the academic and health institutions of the UT System by providing data and analyses to the campuses, engaging in joint research projects, and administering a centralized data request process with the goal of reducing the burden of requests on the campuses.
OIRA's next-generation IR office delivers advanced cross-functional competencies, services, and products, including the UT System Dashboard and data warehouse; seekUT®, a free online tool that provides wage data to students and their families; and the SmartBook, an online and printed resource with key data points for all UT institutions. In addition to conventional IR roles of data collection and reporting, OIRA integrates skillsets in communications, information technology, business intelligence and analytics, data presentation/visualization, and research and reporting to support the work of UT System and its institutions.
seekUT® Online Tool: Real Graduates. Real Earnings. Realistic Expectations.
Launched in 2014, seekUT is a free, online tool and website that presents data on the earnings and educational outcomes for the University of Texas System graduates. By using seekUT, students can access the median earnings of UT graduates working full time – by degree level in 300 areas of study – one, five, and 10 years after graduation, alongside median student loan debt. They can also see the debt-to-income ratio – the estimated monthly loan payment as a percentage of gross monthly income.
Through its partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau’s Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program, UT System delivers student data linked to Unemployment Insurance earnings record data for post-graduate earnings of UT degree recipients. It also offers special reports for graduates and medical students. Students and their families can use seekUT to help them make informed decisions about their education and their financial future.
UT System Dashboard
The UT System Dashboard is a business intelligence and data visualization system that includes web-based applications for extracting and analyzing institutional data. Its purpose is to provide current data, trends over time, and comparative benchmarking across a variety of metrics that will support better decision- and policy-making across all campuses and the System.
UT System created the Dashboard to increase transparency; measure more effectively its productivity, efficiency, and impact; and to demonstrate more clearly its accountability to primary stakeholders, including legislators, policy- and decision-makers at all levels, our institutions, academic and administrative leaders, as well as students and their families.
