State of the University – 2022

The University of Texas at Dallas continues to rank as one of the fastest-growing universities in the country, President Richard C. Benson affirmed during his 2022 State of the University address.

UT Dallas set an enrollment record in fall 2022 with 31,570 students and, in the past year, attracted a record number of philanthropic gifts and expanded its research collaborations.

Enrollment recovered well from a pandemic dip, with an overall increase of 6% compared to fall 2021, and the University welcomed record numbers of first-time-in-college freshmen and graduate students. Benson attributed the growth to dynamic faculty, expanding facilities and increasing research opportunities.

The president noted the quality of this year’s new faculty, which included 43 tenured and tenure-track professors. A new faculty hiring initiative will expand the number of tenured or tenure-track faculty members by at least 50 over the next three years.

Another point of pride is the success of the ongoing New Dimensions: The Campaign for UT Dallas, he said. Its goal is to raise $750 million to attract the best and brightest students, enhance lives through transformative research and transform the arts on campus. Thus far, the campaign has raised $317 million. Nearly 18,000 donations totaling $76.2 million were made last year, making it one of the most successful fundraising years in UT Dallas history.

The president also shared how UTD has made great progress in becoming a center of innovation for North Texas, providing support for commercialization and economic growth as well as research that will help solve some of the world’s greatest challenges. Federal research expenditures are up 68% since 2017, which Benson said is a major accomplishment.

“I fully expect UT Dallas to always be on the path of innovation,” Benson said. “Together, with our partners, we will create a future that benefits us all.”

UT Dallas President Richard Benson

Dr. Richard C. Benson
UT Dallas President


“I fully expect UT Dallas to always be on the path of innovation.”

Fall 2022, almost 1 in 5 of our undergraduate population is first generation.

31,570

Enrolled
Fall 2022

42.2% Bachelor’s degrees awarded to economically disadvantaged students (AY 2021)

67.7% Undergraduates with grants or scholarships (AY 2021)

31.8% Undergraduates who received Pell Grants (AY 2021)

Top Declared Majors of Full-Time Incoming Freshmen

4,220 Freshmen (fall 2022)

227 National Merit Scholars (fall 2022)

36% Engineering and Computer Science

#1 Computer Science
#10 Mechanical Engineering

23% Management

#4 Business Administration
#5 Finance
#8 Information Technology & Systems

14% Natural Sciences and Mathematics

#2 Biology

10% Behavioral and Brain Sciences

#6 Neuroscience
#9 Psychology

17% All Other Schools

#3 Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication
#7 Healthcare Studies

First-Time-in-College Cohort

Academic Year FTIC
AY17 3,229
AY18 3,177
AY19 3,862
AY20 4,073
AY21 3,476
AY22 4,042
AY23 4,220

Growth in FTIC students exceeded goal of 3,900.

Degrees Awarded by Academic Year

Academic Year Undergraduate Master’s PhD/AuD
AY14 2,811 2,960 188
AY15 3,040 3,118 202
AY16 3,064 3,530 193
AY17 3,468 3,374 199
AY18 3,924 3,649 251
AY19 4,215 3,465 228
AY20 4,698 3,508 260
AY21 4,893 3,088 257
AY22 4,881 2,333 262

Undergraduate and Graduate Enrollment

Academic Year Undergraduate Graduate
AY17 17,350 9,443
AY18 18,388 9,254
AY19 19,872 8,883
AY20 20,994 8,549
AY21 21,184 7,486
AY22 21,446 8,250
AY23 21,615 9,955

Record undergraduate enrollment occurred in AY23.

Four-Year and Six-Year Graduation Rates

Academic Year Four-Year Grad Rate % Six-Year Grad Rate %
AY17 52 69
AY18 52 72
AY19 52 70
AY20 53 71
AY21 55 72
AY22 58 73
AY23 60 74

UTD is among the top three public universities in Texas for graduation rates.

Tenure-System Faculty

Academic Year Tenure-System Faculty
AY17 562
AY18 575
AY19 556
AY20 563
AY21 568
AY22 569
AY23 580

An accelerated hiring plan has been launched to reach a target of 625.

Total and Federal Research Expenditures

Bar chart of total and federal research expenditures from F.Y. 09 to F.Y. 21 in millions of dollars. Trends for both are generally increasing. Additional chart for F.Y. 22 shows total expenditure of $140, and federal expenditure of $60, which is up 68% from F.Y. 17.

Academic Space (million square feet)

Academic Year Academic Space (million square feet)
AY17 1.583
AY18 1.703
AY19 1.781
AY20 1.865
AY21 1.918
AY22 2.003
AY23 2.300

An ambitious plan to address instructional and research needs for a fast-growing university is in progress.

Endowment (millions)

Academic Year Endowment (millions of dollars)
AY17 $436
AY18 $483
AY19 $531
AY20 $558
AY21 $603
AY22 $769
AY23 $743

Endowment Target: $800M