One student was currently enrolled at UTSA, while the other two were participating in a post-graduation work experience program, school officials said. Credit: University of Texas at San Antonio
The accrediting body charged with quality assurance in higher education officially approved the previously announced merger of the University of Texas at San Antonio and UT Health San Antonio, Taylor Eighmy, acting president for the conjoined institutions, said Tuesday.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) has approved the merger, and the accrediting body is expected to release a formal notification no later than June 26, Eighmy said in an email to all faculty, staff and students.

“This news affirms our direction and pursuit of a visionary future,” Eighmy wrote. “We are combining two superb institutions to form a new transformational university – one that is nimble, creative and unlike any other in Texas or the nation.”

Officials with UTSA and UT Health San Antonio unveiled their merger plans last summer. The combined institution, which will be rebranded as “UT San Antonio,” will include more than 17,000 faculty and staff, 40,000 students and 350 academic programs.

SACSCOC is expected to recognize the rebranding Sept. 1.

“We will create a model public research university for the nation — an institution that champions social mobility, improves health and powers discovery for the public good,” Eighmy said. “What we are building together will be an exemplar for the UT System, for Texas and for the nation.”

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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2025.

Michael Karlis is a Staff Writer at the San Antonio Current. He is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., whose work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Orlando...