UTSA, UT Health San Antonio merger OKed by accrediting body
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UTSA, UT Health San Antonio merger OKed by accrediting body
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges approved their integration plans. The merger was announced last fall as an effort to combine the academic, clinical and research strengths of the two San Antonio institutions. The next step in the SACSCOC process is a site visit, which is slated to happen between October and November of this year. The university will then have to address any possible issues before asking for continued accreditation as one institution during a meeting in June 2026, UTSA President Taylor Eighmy said. The new mission of the combined institutions is: “To make lives better by advancing excellence in education.”
SACSCOC sanctions degree-granting higher education institutions across Texas and 10 other U.S. states, seeking to assure educational quality and effectiveness.
“This milestone is an important part of our journey and incredibly positive news,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy in a message to faculty, staff and students sent on June 16. “It marks a significant step forward in our integration and a powerful endorsement of our bold and visionary path.”
The merger was announced last fall as an effort to combine the academic, clinical and research strengths of the two San Antonio institutions to better serve the community.
Planning for the application process began in September 2024. Four task forces were formed to focus on the different aspects of the integration.
Operations as one combined entity are slated to take effect on Sept. 1, with Eighmy at the helm of the new institution and Dr. Francisco Cigarroa as the senior executive vice president for health affairs and health system.
The next step in the SACSCOC process is a site visit, which is slated to happen between October and November of this year, Eighmy said in his statement. The university will then have to address any possible issues before asking for continued accreditation as one institution during a meeting in June 2026.
Among the standards sought by the commission to award accreditation is having an education-aligned mission, having the resources necessary to fulfill this mission, and having educational objectives that align with the mission and with the degrees offered at the institution.
As approved by the UT System Board of Regents, the new mission of the combined institutions is: “To make lives better by advancing excellence in education; research, discovery and commercialization; health; public service; and community engagement.”
Credit: Courtesy / UT System
A new logo was also approved by the regents in early May, adopting the original UTSA colors in the new design.
Both UTSA and UT Health San Antonio are independently accredited under SACSCOC at the moment, with their reaffirmation originally slated to happen in 2030 and 2028, respectively. The merger triggered the need to vet their plans once again as one institution.
The institution’s health education accreditations are also pending. The task force assigned to these said it had completed submissions of pre-notification documents for the Doctor of Medicine Degree Program and Dental Degree Programs.
“This news affirms our direction and pursuit of a visionary future,” Eighmy said in his statement. “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.