The University of Texas at Austin is among the most efficient public research universities in the nation, ranking 10th in the percentage of students it graduates for every public dollar it receives, according to a report released today by the university.
It achieves this efficiency without compromising its excellence, according to the report, ranking 45th on U.S. News and World Report’s list of best colleges and 38th on the Academic Ranking of World Universities’ list of best research universities in the world.
“UT Austin is near the top in efficiency among the nation’s public universities,” says President William Powers Jr. “Public research universities must be good stewards of the public trust and public resources. I am committed to making UT Austin an even more efficient university.”
The new report also suggests the university must find ways to increase its four-year graduation rates to levels achieved by several other leading national universities such as the University of Michigan and the University of California-Berkeley.
The 32-page “Analysis of Efficiency and Graduation Rates at The University of Texas at Austin and Other Public Research Universities in the United States” examines data from 120 public universities including graduation rates, the amount of money received from tuition and taxpayer funds, and the number of professors on faculty.
Among the key findings are:
- The University of Texas at Austin’s six-year graduation rate of 81 percent ranks 13th among public research universities.
- The institution ranks second nationally in the number of faculty it employs for every tuition and taxpayer dollar it receives.
- Looking at public dollars, graduation rates and faculty size collectively, the university is tied for the second most efficient public research university.
“Institutions of higher learning must be expected to produce desired outcomes, most notably graduating large numbers of well-educated students with limited resources,” writes the author, Marc Musick, a sociology professor and associate dean for student affairs in the College of Liberal Arts. “By several key measures, The University of Texas at Austin already does this exceedingly well. It is among the most efficient public universities in the nation.”
The university’s effort to examine and improve its efficiency is consistent with the University of Texas System’s recently approved Framework for Advancing Excellence, which addresses student success, faculty productivity, higher education costs and other factors.
