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UNT System finance briefing flags international enrollment drop and projected fund‑balance use
Summary
At its Feb. 13 meeting, the UNT System finance committee heard a quarterly financial update projecting a consolidated use of fund balance and identified international graduate enrollment declines as a key driver of tuition revenue shortfalls; regents discussed strategic budgeting and enrollment recruitment strategies.
The University of North Texas System’s finance committee reviewed a quarterly financial forecast on Feb. 13 that projects a possible consolidated use of fund balance and singled out declines among international graduate students as a principal driver of reduced tuition revenue.
Deputy Chancellor of Finance and Operations Susan Alaniz told the committee the system is "projecting a deficit overall for the year at this point," and cautioned that the estimate is conservative and subject to refinement. Alaniz said consolidated revenue forecasts were about $23 million above budget but projected expenses were roughly $52 million above budget, producing a current forecasted enterprise‑wide use of fund balance of about $28 million.
Alaniz said drivers vary by campus: the Health Science Center (HSC) faces clinical and grant seasonality; UNT in Denton saw tuition declines primarily in international graduate enrollments; and UNT Dallas’ revenues and expenses were largely on track. The finance briefing noted corrective steps underway, including work to identify discretionary spending reductions and a planned May debt sale timed to cash‑flow needs.
President Jim Keller (UNT) and other regents pressed on enrollment strategy. Keller said international master’s students have fallen off nationally and that visa and geopolitical factors are affecting recruitment. He said UNT will prioritize transfer partnerships with community colleges, domestic graduate recruiting and targeted investments in nine doctoral departments and programs tied to sponsored research.
Keller also cited research growth: total reported research expenditures rose to $124,000,000 this year from about $94,000,000 the prior year, and more than $49,000,000 of that was eligible private and federal research expenditures relevant to Texas University Fund eligibility.
Votes at a glance
- Finance committee: approval of the minutes from Nov. 14, 2024 (motion passed, voice vote). - Full board: approval of the consent agenda (items 1–8) and acceptance of the externally audited FY 2024 annual comprehensive financial report (motion passed, voice vote).
Next steps: campus leaders said they will pursue strategic budgeting adjustments for FY 2025, expand transfer and domestic recruiting pipelines to offset international declines, and continue close monitoring of the fund‑balance forecast.
