SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 — Forbes has ranked UTSA No. 127 in public universities in its 2024–2025 America’s Top Colleges list for the university’s success in delivering an affordable, high-quality education that supports students from diverse financial backgrounds and prepares them for long-term success.
Forbes’ ranking methodology evaluates higher education institutions based on alumni salary, student debt, graduation rates, return-on-investment (ROI), retention and academic success.
Among ranked institutions, UTSA earned these placements:
These rankings reflect UTSA’s continuing efforts to eliminate financial barriers, empowering students to graduate quicker and with less debt. For example, 39% of UTSA students are graduating with no tuition loan debt compared to 29% a decade ago.
Forbes’ ranking also emphasizes schools that effectively support Pell Grant recipients, rewarding institutions like UTSA for serving a large percentage of low-income students and achieving strong graduation outcomes for them. About 75% of UTSA undergraduates receive financial aid, and more than 11,000 undergraduates, or 45% of all students, receive federal Pell Grants each year, according to the UTSA Office of Institutional Research and Analysis.
UTSA’s Bold Promise and Bold Scholars programs provide intentional support to help students succeed in addition to offering financial assistance and on-campus housing that can magnify belonging and success. Initially launched in 2019, Bold Promise provides full tuition to eligible Texas students who rank in the top 25% of their high school class and have household incomes up to $70,000. Since its inception, more than 4,000 students have benefited from the program and 67% of Bold Promise students have been first-generation college students.
UTSA further supports retention and persistence through its network of faculty development and support, student success, mentoring and advising programs. The university also actively seeks opportunities to collaborate with similar institutions and with nationwide initiatives to improve student success outcomes.
For example, by participating in the nationwide Student Experience Project, UTSA leveraged new classroom approaches training for faculty. The enhancements contributed to a 2% decrease in drop, fail and withdrawal (DFW) rates between Fall 2022 and Fall 2023 during the pilot phase, with improvements across various student groups, including Pell-eligible and first-generation students.
UTSA consistently prepares graduates for successful careers in top industries aligned to the region’s strengths, supported by a combination of financial assistance, strong academic support programs, and a commitment to empowering students from all backgrounds to build their own bold futures.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Día en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza, Main CampusCovidence is a systematic & scoping review tool used to streamline the process of screening and reviewing articles. Using this software, research teams can easily import studies, perform automatic deduplication, and extract data using templates. This workshop will show attendees how to start a review in Covidence, add collaborators, and get started on screening.
Virtual (Zoom)In this workshop, attendees will be introduced to Pandas, a Python tool for working with data easily. It makes it simple to organize and analyze information when data is organized and categorized, like spreadsheets or tables.
Group Spot B, John Peace LibraryEach fall and spring semester, students convene at the Main Campus at UTSA with booths, ideas and prototypes. A crowd of judges, local organizations, students, faculty and sponsors walk around and talk to the students about their projects and ask questions. Students get the real-life experience of "pitching" their project with hopes of getting funding or support to move to the next level.
UTSA Convocation Center, Main CampusJoin the doctoral candidates for the Doctoral Conferreal Ceremony and celebrate their accomplishments.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusCelebrate the graduates from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and University College.
AlamodomeCelebrate the graduates from the College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and College of Sciences.
AlamodomeThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
