AUSTIN, Texas — This fall, The University of Texas at Austin has admitted its largest-ever incoming class and enrolled more students than ever before. The university has 9,109 first-time, first-year undergraduates, according to data collected on the 12th class day of the current fall term, surpassing the record high from the previous year of 9,060. Total university enrollment rose to 52,384, surpassing the all-time high of 52,261 set in 2002.
The increases, which followed another year of strong application numbers, were made possible in large part by the university’s continued commitment to improving four- and six-year graduation rates, where UT Austin once again set all-time highs in both categories. The four-year rate rose to 73.5% this year, an increase of 21 percentage points since 2012, while the six-year rate rose to 87.8%, a gain of nine percentage points during the past decade.
Graduation rates at UT have shown consistent improvement since 2011, when the university set a goal of increasing the four-year graduation rate from 52% to 70%. Beginning in 2012-2013, the university implemented campus-wide student success programs and analyzed student data to provide proactive support for students to help them define and stick with a path toward graduation. The programs offer peer mentoring, academic support and scholarship access to help more incoming students succeed in college.
“Year after year, increasingly more of the most outstanding students from across Texas and beyond want to enroll at our world-class university,” said UT Austin President Jay Hartzell. “Improved graduation rates reduce students’ expenses and allow them to generate income sooner, while also expanding opportunities for incoming students who seek the rigorous education and vibrant college experience that UT offers.”
The university is also welcoming more first-generation and historically underrepresented groups than ever, while continuing to serve some of its highest numbers of students eligible for Pell grants, which are available to low-income families. Once in the classroom, these students are following the university’s overall trends, performing at consistently higher levels relative to the university’s historical norms. Four-year graduation rates for Black, Hispanic, first-generation and Pell-eligible students have increased, on average, by 27 percentage points since 2012, and each group has narrowed the gap with the university’s overall graduation rate.
Overall, the university’s number and percentage of historically underrepresented students — who identify as Black, Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander — rose to their highest levels ever, now representing 33.6% of the undergraduate population and 30.3% of the university as a whole. At the undergraduate level alone, UT Austin will educate 13,872 historically underrepresented students in 2022, one of the largest totals of any state flagship university or member of the prestigious Association of American Universities.
Hispanic enrollment again reached all-time highs, further cementing the university’s trajectory as one of the country’s largest and most academically prestigious Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The percentage of Hispanic undergraduates rose to 27.9% from 27.1% last year, and Hispanic students made up a plurality of 29.5% of first-year undergraduates this fall.
The number of Black undergraduate students also increased, to 2,269 this fall from 2,219 last fall, with the number of Black students overall (graduate and undergraduate) increasing to 2,759 from 2,728.
Enrollment of first-generation undergraduate students rose to 9,636 from 9,387 last year, representing 23.3% of all current undergraduates.
“We are committed to recruiting talented students with diverse backgrounds and experiences,” said Hartzell. “The gains we have made are a testament to this effort, as well as our campaign pledge to raise $1 billion for scholarships and student support programs that will continue to expand opportunities for Longhorns from traditionally underserved communities.”
Numbers for international students also rose, to 5,117 (9.8% of all students) this year from 4,725 (9.1% of all students) in 2021.
| Four-Year Undergraduate Graduation Rate Increases | |||
| 2012 | 2022* | ||
| Overall | 52.2% | 73.5% | |
| Black** | 36.6% | 67.2% | |
| Hispanic | 42.9% | 66.7% | |
| First-Generation | 40.9% | 66.5% | |
| Pell-Eligible | 40.3% | 68.5% | |
| Six-Year Undergraduate Graduation Rate Increases | |||
| 2012 | 2022* | ||
| Overall | 78.7% | 87.8% | |
| Black** | 69.6% | 81.2% | |
| Hispanic | 68.3% | 81.9% | |
| First-Generation | 66.7% | 79.4% | |
| Pell-Eligible | 70.8%*** | 81.0% | |
* Preliminary as of 12th class day | ** Black includes both “Black or African American alone” and “Black or African American Multiracial (excluding Hispanic) | ***Reflects earliest verifiable data from 2014
Notable fall enrollment figures year over year, fall 2021 to fall 2022:
- Total enrollment increased from 51,992 to 52,384.
- The size of the entering first-year class increased from 9,060 to 9,109.
- The overall percentage of Hispanic students rose from 24.2% to 24.8%, the percentage of Hispanic undergraduates rose from 27.1% to 27.9%, and the percentage of Hispanic first-year undergraduates rose from 29.1% to 29.5% – all record highs.
- The overall number of Black students (both undergraduate and graduate) rose from 2,728 to 2,759, and the percentage increased slightly from 5.2% to 5.3%. The percentage of Black first-year undergraduates was 6.1%.
- The number of first-generation college students increased from 9,387 to 9,636, while their percentage increased from 22.9% to 23.3% of undergraduates.
- The four-year graduation rate for Pell-eligible students rose from 66.1% to a new high of 68.5%, further closing the gap with the graduation rate of non-Pell eligible students, which is 74.9%.
All 2022 figures in this release are as of the 12th class day and therefore preliminary. Some figures, such as graduation rates, may change slightly as further information on student status is finalized for federal and state reporting; final figures will be released in the statistical handbook, the definitive source of annual data on the university.
