In its annual Best Colleges rankings, U.S. News & World Report has recognized The University of Texas at San Antonio as a national leader in social mobility and innovation, qualities at the heart of the university’s mission.
This year’s rankings evaluated more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities, using up to 17 factors, to measure academic quality and graduate success.
The 2026 rankings placed UT San Antonio in the top 10% of universities in social mobility, at No. 42 among institutions. The university is among the top three UT System institutions for social mobility with UT Rio Grande Valley at No. 27, UT Arlington sharing the No. 42 spot, and UT El Paso at No. 52.
Among all Texas universities, UT San Antonio was ranked fifth highest for social mobility out of 34.
U.S. News & World Report also ranked UT San Antonio as No. 56 among the most innovative schools. UT San Antonio is one of seven Texas universities on the list, alongside Rice University (No. 15), UT Austin (No. 21), Texas A&M University (No. 31), Baylor University (No. 38), University of Houston (No. 48), and UTRGV (tied at No. 56).
“UT San Antonio’s rising rankings are a powerful testament to our university’s commitment to excellence in academics, research and innovation and healthcare, while exemplifying the ways in which we’re optimizing our momentum to create even more opportunities for our students to succeed,” said UT San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy.
“Paired with our mission to make lives better, UT San Antonio is keenly focused on creating accessible pathways for success so that our graduates go out into the world to create new knowledge, grow the talent pipeline and positively contribute to the economic and workforce development efforts of our city and state,” Eighmy said.
“UT San Antonio is keenly focused on creating accessible pathways for success so that our graduates go out into the world to create new knowledge, grow the talent pipeline and positively contribute to the economic and workforce development efforts of our city and state.” — Taylor Eighmy
Upward momentum
Social mobility is the movement of an individual or a family’s socioeconomic status. Upward social mobility is usually measured by positive changes in income and occupation and driven largely by educational attainment.
At UT San Antonio, where 75% of students receive financial aid and 45% of students are Pell Grant recipients, making college more affordable has been a priority.
The university has strategically removed financial barriers that often prevent high school graduates from going to college and has proactively put measures in place to help students succeed once they arrive.
Innovative academic technologies and student support programs have been established to help students grow into academic success and develop a sense of belonging that promotes success.
In addition to those efforts, the university’s Bold Promise and Bold Scholars programs were created to offer financial assistance and on-campus housing that magnify student success among students in need.
Launched in 2019, UT San Antonio’s Bold Promise program provides full tuition to eligible Texas students who rank in the top 25% of their high school class and have household incomes up to $100,000 (previously $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.
UT San Antonio graduates now leave the institution with $5,000 less in student loan debt than the national average and $4,000 less than the state average, further demonstrating the university’s commitment to affordability and student success.
About 39% of current UT San Antonio students graduate with no loan debt — a number that has increased by 10% over the last decade.
Most innovative
The universities in the “most innovative” category are recognized for promising innovations in curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology and facilities.
With UT San Antonio now the third-largest research university in Texas, and designated as a Carnegie R1 institution, the ability to attract scholars who will add expertise in research areas is vital to enhancing competitiveness. Innovative faculty help to solve societal needs and advance the university’s capacity to meet UT System and state goals as outlined by the Texas Legislature.
Prior to the Sept. 1 merger of UTSA and UT Health San Antonio to become UT San Antonio, the university welcomed more than 75 new faculty members for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Six of the tenure-track faculty members were hired through the Clustered and Connected Hiring Program and funded in part by The University of Texas System Board of Regents’ Research Excellence Program.
The program helps recruit leading scholars to drive research innovation, grow their national prominence and increase federal funding opportunities.
Overall, the U.S. News & World Report placed UT San Antonio at No. 213 in the Best National Universities category among 436 institutions. Other notable rankings for UT San Antonio from the 2026 Best Colleges ranking include:
- No. 118 in Top Public Schools
- No. 134 in Best Value Schools
- No. 135 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs
- No. 191 in Economics
- No. 156 in Best Colleges for Veterans
