UT institutions confer more than 38,000 degrees at spring commencements

University of Texas institutions have more than 38,000 reasons to celebrate this month.

That’s how many undergraduate, graduate and professional students earned degrees from 14 UT institutions at spring commencements, according to preliminary data.

UT institutions award more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees. In fact, several institutions – including UT Dallas, UT Permian Basin, UT San Antonio and UT Tyler – recorded their largest ever graduating classes.

And well more than half – 56 percent – of the health professional degrees awarded in the state – which include medical, dental and nursing degrees – are earned at UT institutions. 

“As Texas’ population continues to grow and more and more jobs require an education beyond high school, the role of UT institutions in our state’s education, healthcare and economy will become even more critical,” UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said. “Each one of these graduates has improved not only the trajectory of their own life, but also the trajectory of their community and their state. Congratulations to all of the graduates and their families, and also to the faculty and staff who supported and educated these students.”

With fall and summer commencements taken into account, UT academic and health institutions produce more than 60,000 degrees annually. The students represent every county in Texas, every state in the country and almost every country in the world.

Student success and access at UT institutions has been steadily increasing in recent years:

• Over the past five years, degrees and certificates awarded at UT institutions have increased almost 35 percent.
• Over the past five years, the four-year graduation rate has increased at every UT academic institution.
• More than 43% of all UT degrees – and 51 percent of all undergraduate degrees – are awarded to minority students.
• Enrollment at UT institutions, now at nearly 240,000, has grown more than 12 percent in the past five years.
• UT institutions educate over 80,000 more students – including nearly twice as many graduate students – than the next largest university system in Texas.

Current and future students who want to better understand the return on investment in a UT degree can visit seekUT, which offers salary and debt data for graduates of UT institutions one, five and 10 years after graduation.

Here’s more information about commencement at each UT institution:

• UT Arlington
• UT Austin
• UT Dallas
• UT El Paso
• UT Permian Basin
• UT Rio Grande Valley
• UT San Antonio
• UT Tyler
• UT Southwestern
• UT Medical Branch
• UTHealth
• UT Health San Antonio
• UT MD Anderson
• UT Health Science Center Tyler

About The University of Texas System
For more than 130 years, The University of Texas System has been committed to improving the lives of Texans and people all over the world through education, research and health care. With 14 institutions, an enrollment of nearly 240,000 students and an operating budget of $19.5 billion (FY 2019), the UT System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. UT institutions produce more than 60,000 graduates annually and award more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees and almost two-thirds of its health professional degrees. Collectively, UT-owned and affiliated hospitals and clinics accounted for more than 8.2 million outpatient visits and 1.6 million hospital days last year. Across UT institutions, research and development expenditures total $2.9 billion – the second highest among U.S. public higher education systems – and the UT System is regularly ranked among the top 10 most innovative universities in the world. The UT System also is one of the largest employers in Texas, with more than 21,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates and members of the National Academies – and more than 83,000 health care professionals, researchers and support staff.