Southwest Center for Advanced Studies

The University of Texas at Dallas

Motto	Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis (Latin)
Motto in English	Education, the Guardian of Society
Type	Public – Research State university
Established	June 13, 1969 (1969-06-13)
Endowment	$447.97 million (Jan 31, 2016)
President	Richard C. Benson
Provost	Hobson Wildenthal
Academic staff	1,300
Students	26,793 (Fall 2016)
Undergraduates	17,350 (Fall 2016)
Postgraduates	9,443 (Fall 2016)
Location	Richardson, Texas, United States
Campus	Urban 445 acres (180 ha) (Main campus) 275 acres (111 ha) (Other land)
Student media	The Mercury AMP Radio UTD UTD TV
Colors	Flame orange, Eco green, Brilliance white
Athletics	NCAA Division III – American Southwest
Nickname	Comets
Mascot	Temoc
Affiliations	UT System Universities Research Association American Southwest Conference
Website	www.utdallas.edu

The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas or UTD) is a public research university in the University of Texas System. The main campus is in the Richardson, Texas, Telecom Corridor, 18 miles (29 km) north of downtown Dallas. The institution, established in 1961 as the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest and later renamed the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies (SCAS), began as a research arm of Texas Instruments. In 1969, the founders bequeathed SCAS to the state of Texas officially creating The University of Texas at Dallas.

The Carnegie Foundation classifies the university as a doctoral research university with "Highest Research Activity" and the undergraduate admissions as "more selective," both being the highest rank conferred by the foundation. Notable university faculty members & alumni include recipients of the Nobel Prize, and members of both the National Academy of Science and National Academy of Engineering. Research projects include the areas of Space Science, Bioengineering, Cybersecurity, Nanotechnology, and Behavioral and Brain Sciences. The University of Texas at Dallas offers more than 138 academic programs across its eight schools and hosts more than 50 research centers and institutes. With a number of interdisciplinary degree programs, its curriculum is designed to allow study that crosses traditional disciplinary lines and to enable students to participate in collaborative research labs.

The school has a Division III athletics program in the American Southwest Conference and fields 13 intercollegiate teams. The university recruits worldwide for its chess team and has a nationally recognized debate team. For spring 2015 commencement, the university granted 1,779 bachelor's degrees, 1,685 master's degrees and 89 PhDs for a total of 3,553 degrees.