The University of Texas at San Antonio Acceptance Rate, Admissions & Graduation

I am not going to tell you whether UTSA is the right school for your child. An article cannot decide that. But I can show you, using the data that the United States government itself collects each year, what kind of university it is, how people get in, how much it really costs, and what happens to students once they arrive. With that information in hand, you and your child can make a decision with your eyes open.

What kind of university UTSA is

Let’s start with the basics. UTSA is a four-year public institution located in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County, in a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more within the San Antonio–New Braunfels metropolitan area. If your child plans to live at home, this matters more than it may seem: I recommend driving the route on a weekday at the exact time of your child’s classes. The time shown on the map is almost never the actual travel time.

The Carnegie system, which is how the United States classifies its universities according to what they do, places UTSA among the doctoral institutions with the highest level of research activity in that system. It is a serious school academically, with programs through the doctoral level.

It also classifies UTSA, using older data (2019–20), as a large, “primarily nonresidential” institution. That does not mean there are no dormitories—there are, and we will return to that point. It means that, technically, either fewer than one in four undergraduate students live in institution-provided housing or fewer than half study full time. The data do not clarify which of those two conditions was met. If your child will commute by car, what you need to budget for is gasoline and hours on the road, not just tuition.

One more point from this classification: in the most recent profile, UTSA is listed among institutions that receive many transfer students. If your child plans to come here after studying at another school, ask in writing, before enrolling, which courses will count and which will not. That label does not say how many credits are lost along the way; you have to find that out yourself.

Finally, something worth clarifying directly: UTSA is not listed as a historically Black college or university (HBCU), a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this national directory, only 138 have any of those three designations. UTSA’s absence from that list says nothing about which communities it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers currently exist, what student organizations are available, and, better yet, speak with someone who already studies there.

A large school and a community that may feel familiar

Here is a number that changes the conversation for many Latino families: in the fall of 2023, 61 out of every 100 UTSA undergraduate students identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino. This is neither a minor nor an incidental figure. Among the 519 selective-admission, four-year public schools compared in this census, UTSA is among those reporting the highest share: nine out of ten of those schools report a percentage that is the same or lower.

If your child is troubled by the idea of feeling like the only Latino student in a classroom, the numbers here do not show that. But let’s be honest about what this figure does and does not say. Counting how many Latino students there are is not the same as guaranteeing support for Latino students. The data do not say whether there is a Spanish-speaking counselor, whether targeted tutoring is available, or whether those students complete their degrees at the same rate. And this is the percentage for the entire school, not for the specific major your child is interested in. A figure that feels reassuring does not automatically constitute real support; what it does guarantee is that your child will not arrive at a place where your child’s community is a statistical rarity.

As for the rest of the student body: out of every 100 students, 15 are between 25 and 64 years old—there is a real mix of ages—and the undergraduate population is almost evenly divided between men and women, with 52 women out of every 100 students. In addition, 97 out of every 100 entering students reported a permanent address in Texas when they applied. Above all, it is a school of and for the state.

In terms of size, UTSA reported 34,864 enrolled students in the official fall count, placing it in the highest size category the government uses to classify universities (20,000 or more). Among the 519 comparable schools in this census, no more than one in ten has more students. Of that total, 30,310 are undergraduates and 4,554 are graduate students: above all, it is an undergraduate institution.

It is worth saying this very clearly because many families confuse the two: a large school does not necessarily have large classes. That is a different measure, and this report does not provide it. Ask directly: how many students are in first-year classes on average, and how many are in classes for the major your child is interested in?

How the academic year works and how broad the offerings are

UTSA organizes its academic year by semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. It accepts credit for AP examinations and military training; it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.

Here is a hard truth that should be stated plainly: saying that AP credit is accepted does not mean credit is awarded for every examination or every score. These data do not tell us what score is required or whether those credits apply to your child’s specific major. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before making optimistic calculations about how much time or money will be saved.

As for its academic offerings, in a single year UTSA awarded 5,880 bachelor’s degrees, distributed across 27 fields of study families, which the government calls CIP families. Those offerings are genuinely distributed: even the family with the most degrees, business and management, accounted for no more than 18 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. Compared with 514 similar schools, UTSA ranks in the quarter with the most fields of study families represented in its offerings. It is a broad university, not a school dominated by a single specialty.

Now, one figure that is worth examining carefully: UTSA’s student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 25 to 1, placing it in the highest quarter among 519 similar schools. It is an aggregate ratio, not a classroom size—it does not describe how a professor’s actual time is distributed among students—but it is a signal worth considering alongside the earlier question about class size.

The academic opportunities the institution reports

UTSA reports offering study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, noncredit developmental education for those who need it, teacher-certification preparation below the baccalaureate level, and state approval of its initial teacher-certification program. These are components that exist in the institutional catalog; you need to confirm directly with the school how accessible they are for your child’s exact major.

How admission to UTSA works

Here we reach one of the areas that causes families the most anxiety and also one that UTSA’s numbers make more reassuring than many people imagine.

UTSA does not have open admission: it reviews application components before saying yes. Of the nine possible considerations measured by this report, four are required: the high school transcript, high school GPA, your child’s class rank, and the English-language proficiency examination when applicable. Other components are not required but are considered if submitted: the recommended high school curriculum, a personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency examination, and work experience. The report does not say how much weight each component carries in the final decision.

A warning that is invaluable for many families: if your child studied outside the United States or completed high school in Spanish, ask now whether the English-language proficiency examination applies and what qualifies your child for an exemption. This university marks it as required when applicable, and it is one of those things people discover late, when there is no longer enough time to resolve it calmly.

The published application fee is $70.

Now, the numbers that almost everyone wants to know first:

Within its comparison group of 519 selective public schools, UTSA is a very accessible university: 88 out of every 100 applicants received an offer of admission, slightly above the average for that group. Put another way, out of every 100 families that submit a complete application on time, nearly 9 out of every 10 receive an affirmative response.

But here is the hard truth that should not be hidden: being likely to get in does not make what comes next easy. That 88% is for the entire school and for a single admissions cycle. It does not say how much attendance will cost, how many students finish, or whether your child’s intended major has its own internal screening process that is stricter than that of the institution overall. Those three questions must be asked separately.

Interestingly, only 30 out of every 100 admitted students ultimately enrolled at UTSA. The other 70 had an admission letter in hand and still chose a different path. This does not measure quality or prestige: it measures what other families decided after seeing all their options on the table. That is exactly what your family should also do when the letters arrive: place them side by side and compare net price, major, and distance rather than being swayed only by who said yes first.

Regarding standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required at UTSA. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains under consideration just the same. Even so, 63 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores—one of the highest submission rates among similar schools—and among them, the middle half scored between 510 and 610 in reading and writing and between 490 and 590 in mathematics. That range describes students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants; it is neither a minimum for admission nor a guarantee of anything.

As for transfers, among the bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 21 out of every 100 transferred to another institution without completing a degree at UTSA. At the same time, in the fall of 2023, 2,901 new transfer students arrived from other schools. Changing universities is not failure. But if your child arrives—or leaves—as a transfer student, ask in writing, with the exact list of courses in hand, which credits will be recognized. That information is not included in any national report; only the school can confirm it.

Cost: what is published and what is actually paid

At The University of Texas at San Antonio, among 1,008 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $7,802. Among 643 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $9,699; among 573 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $19,758. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.

The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (1,008 students) and that of the highest-income band (573 students) is $11,956. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $10,831.

The advertised price is not the same as the price paid. Here, for students with low income, the average net price was $7,802 in the 2022–23 academic year.

The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.

Financial aid and loans, without mixing up the numbers

Seventy out of every 100 degree-seeking students at UTSA receive aid that does not have to be repaid—grants or scholarships—with an average of $8,521 per year among those who received it. In addition, 43 out of every 100 receive Pell Grants, the federal aid for low-income families.

Here is a clarification worth repeating because families confuse it all the time: the percentage of students who receive aid and the average amount received are two separate calculations with different denominators. Do not multiply them together. When the financial-aid letter from any school arrives, separate it by hand into three piles: money that does not have to be repaid, money that must be repaid with interest, and money that must be earned through work. Many letters mix them together in a single column, which is where families become most confused.

Regarding loans, 43 out of every 100 UTSA undergraduate students received a federal loan in the 2022–23 school year, with an average amount of $6,506 among those who borrowed. That proportion is common among similar schools—neither among the highest nor among the lowest.

And here is a hard truth, stated plainly: this percentage is about other families, not yours. What your child would need to borrow depends on your child’s own financial-aid letter, which has not arrived yet. Furthermore, that average counts only one year of federal student loans in the student’s name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, bank debt, or credit-card debt. Nor is it the total debt a student has upon graduation; calculating that would require adding together all years, and that figure does not appear in any report of this kind.

UTSA also reports specific mechanisms for paying tuition: a guaranteed-tuition plan, a prepaid-tuition plan, an installment-payment plan, and participation in a Promise-type program. It is worth asking about each one before assuming that paying everything at once is the only option.

Campus life, athletics, learning formats, and support

UTSA does have its own housing, with capacity for 4,585 students on or off campus, and it confirmed that no first-time, full-time student is universally required to live there. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by the plan selected. The existence of housing does not guarantee a space: ask in writing for the current year’s rate, the application deadline, and whether a space is guaranteed or your child will be placed on a waiting list.

For those seeking a military path, UTSA reports Army and Air Force ROTC; Navy is not listed. Its inclusion in the report does not confirm that the program is offered on this specific campus—ask about it by name before building a plan around ROTC.

In athletics, UTSA competes in the NCAA, with confirmed membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. The membership belongs to the school, not to your child: if your child is interested in competing, write directly to the coach for the sport and ask about roster availability, division, and whether an athletic scholarship is available.

Regarding distance education, UTSA offers distance courses and complete distance programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In the fall count, 13 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load through distance education, while the other 87 took at least one in-person class. Confirm the exact level and major directly if the format is a deciding factor for your family.

The library operates with paid staff and reports annual spending above the government-recorded threshold of $100,000, as well as physical and digital materials and interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not guarantee that the specific databases for your child’s major are available; ask about them by the name of the major.

Finally, UTSA reports combined academic and career counseling services, employment services for current students, placement services upon program completion, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military personnel, a veterans’ student organization, and a published web address for disability services. The reporting of these services confirms that they exist on paper; their actual quality and accessibility are determined by asking questions and visiting, not merely by reading the list.

What happens to students once they arrive

For many families, this is the most important section of all: do students stay? Do they graduate?

Of the cohort that entered full time in the fall of 2022, 79 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. This result is slightly above the midpoint among similar schools—neither among the best nor the worst in the group, but in the middle. Among part-time students, that same measure was only 40 out of every 100, but these are different groups with different lives: they cannot be compared as if they told the same story.

Now for graduation, where it is best to be more direct. Among first-time, full-time students who entered UTSA in 2017:

The gap of 19 points measures how much the share with a bachelor’s degree increased between the four-year and six-year marks for the same cohort. The data do not say how many semesters each person attended and do not report tuition, rent, or earnings. Compared with 518 similar schools, UTSA’s six-year graduation rate is below the comparison-group midpoint. I am not going to soften this figure: by the six-year mark, practically half of that cohort had graduated from UTSA and the other half had not. The report does not explain why—it does not distinguish those who transferred and graduated elsewhere from those who simply did not finish. Before deciding, ask directly what specific support the school offers to help students finish on time and how long the specific major your child is interested in actually takes.

A broader eight-year view of a different cohort that includes full-time and part-time students shows that 59 out of every 100 had earned a UTSA degree or certificate. Among Pell recipients, the figure was almost identical: also 59 out of every 100. That does not mean the path was equally easy for everyone; it means only that the final outcome, measured this way, was similar. Another 19% are listed with unknown enrollment status—which does not mean they dropped out, only that the report was unable to determine where they were.

What is up to you, what is up to your child, and what is up to the school

UTSA is responsible for admitting students, defining its requirements, publishing its costs, and offering its programs. You have now seen how it does so: it is a large university, accessible in terms of its admission rate, with a net price notably lower than its list price for families with modest incomes, a majority-Latino community, and graduation outcomes that are, honestly, in the middle of the range.

Your child is responsible for making use of what is available there: studying, seeking support, and completing the degree in the time your child can. You do not decide that, and neither does this article.

You have a different responsibility that is just as important: understanding your family’s actual finances, requesting a written credit evaluation before promising your child savings that may not exist, waiting for the financial-aid letter before ruling out or committing to any school, and asking the questions that no national report can answer for you—the actual class sizes, the specific support available for your child’s major, and the experience of living on that campus.

You now have an in-depth understanding of one of the pieces you need to make a decision: who UTSA is according to the numbers the government itself collects. Combine that with what your child wants to study, what your child has already built in the academic record, and what your family can and is willing to pay. A real plan comes from that combination, not from a single figure.

Note on sources: The information in this article comes from official data reported to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), corresponding primarily to the years 2022–23 and 2023–24, depending on the indicator. Best College Aid does not represent The University of Texas at San Antonio or any government agency; this piece is an independent educational effort intended to help families understand public data.