Forbes ranks UTSA among ‘America’s Top Colleges’ for affordability, ROI

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:

• #127 among public colleges
• #178 among research universities
• #64 in the South
• #272 out of 500 public and private institutions

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.

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