The University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have completed their long-planned merger, officially combining into a single institution, now known as the University of Texas at San Antonio. The consolidation creates a major public research university with over 40,000 students, 17,000 employees, and $486 million in annual research expenditures — ranking it third in the state behind Texas A&M and UT Austin.

The merged university retains its Carnegie R1 designation and now represents the largest integration of U.S. research institutions by total research dollars and endowment since 2013. UT San Antonio’s combined endowment exceeds $1.3 billion.

"This is and always will be about impact,” said Kevin Eltife, chair of the UT System Board of Regents. “It’s about bringing together two institutions that complement each other — one with academics, research, the arts, and athletics, and another that has all that you could ask for to make patients’ lives better through health education, research, and clinical care.”
The new university spans six campuses and 15 colleges, offering more than 320 degree and certificate programs. It also absorbs UT Health San Antonio’s clinical enterprise, which handles over 2.5 million patient visits annually and trains more than 1,000 residents and fellows.

Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., now senior executive vice president for health affairs, emphasized the university’s potential for broad impact. “A discovery that happens here ... translates to the population at large, and it’s going to have a global impact,” he said.

UT San Antonio will continue to compete in NCAA Division I athletics under the UTSA banner, with Rowdy the Roadrunner remaining the school’s mascot.

University officials project an annual economic impact of $7 billion, with a focus on expanding Texas’ healthcare workforce and supporting San Antonio’s $44 billion biosciences sector.

Leadership views the merger as a step toward eventual inclusion in the Association of American Universities.

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