UTSA ranked in U.S. News and World Reports (Houston: transfer, schools)

[hello13685]

City officials are aware that in order for a city to improve its standing, its universities need to improve and draw more research funding. UTSA has aspirations to become a research-intensive institution, however it is currently ranked as a fourth tier school in U.S. News and World Report (that is actually rock bottom, unfortunately). Each year, that publication ranks hundreds of schools across the USA. At the top are the "national universities" like Berkeley, Yale, Stanford, etc. Then they list the "Master's only" schools (like Trinity) in separate regional categories.

UTSA has been adding MA and doctoral programs like mad in the past few years as it strives for higher status; the city has been supportive because they have visions of SA being a new tech center and they envision the university playing a key role in that. However, administrators know that UTSA's open enrollment will hold it back. None of the schools that UTSA aspires to resemble has open enrollment, and it's impossible to retain top faculty and procure top funding when the faculty are basically teaching a community college population. Yet UTSA is in a bit of a bind, because these students bring cash. Many are therefore pessimistic that UTSA will be able to rise and fulfill these goals. I wonder if anyone else on here has heard of this?

[irnag]

I've searched all over US News and World Report and can't find anything on UTSA being a 4th tier university. It has a 3rd tier masters program. And the admissions to UTSA are much like UT and Texas A&M in the 80s. I know both UT and A&M only up the standards for entry after they both exploded in size and had to curb enrollment. But as for hard to get into schools, it was Rice and Baylor. I'm sure once UTSA gets to that point, they will be more discerning.

[hello13685]

Thanks for yours. US News publishes a special issue every year with its rankings. I'm not talking about an article in a standard issue. The New York Times also wrote quite a nice article sometime last summer, I believe, about San Antonio's designs on being a tech center (a new Silicon Valley) and its hope that UTSA might help that along.

UTSA did have to turn a few prospective students away this year for the first time due to excess numbers, but its mission has always been to provide an education to all. I'm confused about your comment that UTSA "has a 3rd tier masters program." Universities do not have MA programs--individual departments do--and tier rankings regard universities as a whole, not individual departmental programs. Sorry if any of this upsets anyone; I guess the rule is if it is negative, it must be made up or misinformed. I just wanted to know if anyone else has been talking about the relationship between the city's plans and UTSA playing a role in that.

[LongHornGuy86]

UTSA has tremendous potential, and is definitely where UT was back in the '80's. It was so easy to get into UT back then--however, within the next 10 to 15 years, it's quite possible UTSA will be a Tier II institution--they just completed the Biotech & Sciences center, which is heavily research funded.

UT Dallas, which is currently a Tier III school, is harder to get into initially, but as a transfer student, relatively easy (only need a 2.5). UTSA is improving, but not fast enough, so I'm out! Back to Dallas!

[irnag]

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/col...0115_brief.php

Here is the link to the comment about 3rd tier.

"Sorry if any of this upsets anyone; I guess the rule is if it is negative, it must be made up or misinformed."

No, it's just if it is stated as fact, it would be nice to know if it's really true.

[hello13685]

Thanks for the cite. I could have sworn it was fourth tier, NON-regional. I fear that third tier regional may be even worse than the latter. I'll revisit the pub, thanks.

[hello13685]

Yes, have now seen 2007 reports. UTSA moved up to a third tier regional MA school, and I believe it used to be 4th tier, so that's good, but is still unfortunately behind UT Arlington and UT El Paso because they are actually national universities in a higher league.

[LongHornGuy86]

UTSA ranks above UTEP.

Ranking goes like this:

1 UT Austin (flagship)
2 UT Dallas
3 UT Arlington
4 UT San Antonio
5 UT El Paso
6 UT Tyler
7 UT Brownsville
8 UT Permian Basian
9 UT Pan American

[Guerilla]

Why don't they have a UT Houston? Is it because the Univ. of Houston would take up too much (third largest university in Texas behind UT Austin and Texas A&M College Station). I heard that they might build a campus in Pearland, though (it was on a master-plan map).

[210]

Hello, what university do you profess at?