The University announced in April that it surpassed $1 billion in research funding during the 2023-24 fiscal year. The National Science Foundation released its annual survey on Nov. 25, analyzing funding for universities across the country, in which UT saw an increase in their rankings.
The University previously ranked 35 on the list in the last fiscal year. The University rose to 32 on the ranking in the 2023 list released last week, with an increase of $190 million in the last year alone.
The University is ranked behind the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and Texas A&M University College Station and Health Science Center, ranked at 23 and 22, respectively.
The federal funding for the University increased by $190 million due to new contracts with the federal government to further develop UT’s microchip production, among other projects. The University expects research funding for the 2024 fiscal year to rise dramatically following an $840 million award to the Texas Institute for Electronics to continue its research and development.
State officials questioned the federal funding for the University after President Joe Biden broadened Title IX in April 2024. Title IX is a civil rights law that provides certain requirements on institutions that receive federal funding such as the University.
Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott warned universities in Texas not to comply with the new regulations, which protected students from gender identity and sexual orientation based discrimination, calling it unconstitutional.
“If any Texas school district adopts a policy or procedure that conflicts with or contravenes state law, then I will pursue every remedy available to protect students and teachers from these illegal and radical policies,” Paxton said in a press release following a federal court ruling pausing the implementation of the expansion.
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to repeal the changes made to Title IX when he takes office in January 2025, according to Time magazine.
The survey only covers research and development expenditures at higher education institutions around the country, focusing on projects and research conducted at the universities. It does not include donations to athletic programs or donations for other events at the University.
