It is the largest university system in Texas with 250,000+ enrolled students, 21,000+ employed faculty, 83,000+ health care professionals, researchers and support staff.

This decision occurred following an announcement at the start of the fall semester by SFA President Steve Westbrook that the board was considering joining a system.

The decision to join the UT System was made following a process that included faculty, staff, student, and alumni input.

The initiative resulted in a single institution, including a medical school, spanning the entire Rio Grande Valley, with a presence in each of the major metropolitan areas of Brownsville, Edinburg, Harlingen, and McAllen.

The UT System Board of Regents met in late December 2020 and took action on the implementation of the merger which began on January 1, 2021.

[63] Officials ultimately decided against it, citing significant costs, administrative challenges, and different university cultures.

[64] In 2016, an op-ed published in the San Antonio Express-News urged the UT System Board of Regents to reconsider their decision.

[67] The purpose was to help the metroplex gain one unified flagship-level university, but the House Bill ultimately failed to pass due to objections from UT Arlington (which wanted to retain its identity as a separate university) and the lack of time to properly explain the complex process to state representatives.

[71][72] Demographic information of the total student population at all UT system academic and health institutions compared to 2020 US Census data.

(Non-Hispanic) Reported 2022 statistics of Texas residents that attended UT system academic institutions.

[75] Bonds from the UT System's endowment funded the construction of the new 19-story, 330,000-square-foot (31,000 m2) headquarters, which had a price tag of $102 million.

[80] The Coordinated Admissions Program (CAP) offers some UT Austin applicants the chance to attend the university if they complete their freshman year at another system school and meet specified requirements.

[81] Each institution in the University of Texas System sets its own admissions standards, and not all schools may accept a particular CAP student.