Where does the data come from?
UT System's Office of Institutional Research and Analysis (OIRA) uses data obtained through partnerships with the U.S. Census Bureau’s Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). UT System student data is linked to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) earnings record data for the post-graduate earnings of UT degree recipients. Additionally, seekUT incorporates data from the National Student Clearinghouse® (NSC), the Texas Workforce Commission's Labor Market and Career Information (LMCI) program, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
The collaboration between the U.S. Census Bureau’s LEHD and UT System allows seekUT to provide valuable information to students to assist them on their career pathways.
What do the abbreviations stand for?
- Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP)
- Financial Aid Database (FADS)
- Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD)
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- National Student Clearinghouse (NSC)
- North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
- Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)
- Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)
- Texas Workforce Commission's Labor Market and Career Information (LMCI)
- Unemployment Insurance (UI)
How are actual, full-year earnings calculated for graduates of UT System institutions?
The earnings data reflect actual earnings reported to the LEHD and TWC for students who graduated with a degree from a UT System institution (academic and health campuses) in academic years 2005‑06 through 2021-2022. Earnings are based on a calendar year and are inflation-adjusted to reflect 2023 dollars. Aggregate median earnings are reported by institution and major.
Who are included/excluded in the earnings data for UT System institutions?
The goal of seekUT is to focus on those individuals with full-time, full-year employment. The UI earnings data does not indicate the number of hours worked, length, or type of employment. Annual earnings of $13,195 are established as the minimum earnings and serve as a proxy for full-time employment. Therefore, seekUT excludes graduates with annual earnings of less than that threshold. Individuals who are self-employed are excluded from seekUT.
Only those students who graduated from a UT System institution are included
If an individual graduated from a UT System institution between the 2006-07 through 2021-22 academic years, his/her earnings have been included (unless they worked less than full time or for less than a calendar year). Note: One UT System health institution — UT Health Science Center at Tyler — did not begin enrolling students until fall 2012. Missing data in a table or chart is due to insufficient data.
Graduates from the UTRGV Medical School and UT Austin Dell Medical School have not yet accumulated five years of earnings.
Do the earnings data reflect earnings in students' selected fields of study?
Not necessarily. There are no occupation-level classifications related to job titles or duties that would allow a definitive determination of whether or not a graduate’s specific job is in a field related to their major.
How is median student loan debt calculated for graduates of UT System institutions?
UT System calculated the loan debt using THECB's Financial Aid Database (FADS) data. Median debt estimates only include those graduates who borrowed, and it is inflation-adjusted to reflect 2023 dollars. Further, it only reflects loan amounts incurred while attending UT System institutions; if a student enrolled in a non-UT System institution at any time, that debt would not be included. Loan cohorts match the most recent wage cohort groupings.
For baccalaureate graduates, the median debt is estimated for those who initially enrolled at the institution as first-time-in-college students. Note: undergraduate loan debt figures are not presented for the health institutions because of their low number of undergraduate first-time-in-college students. For master’s level and professional students, the median loan debt was calculated for UT System graduates enrolling in those degree levels for the first time. Due to the small student counts at the doctoral level, particularly when looking at doctoral-level borrowers, student loan debt is not included for the doctoral level in seekUT at this time.
PLUS loans — unsubsidized loans for the parents of dependent students — were not included in the average loan amounts, as this is a debt taken on by parents. Additionally, seekUT excludes any Texas B-On-Time Loan Program that were forgiven when a student earned his/her degree in a timely manner.
Cohort Panels
| Level | Most Recent Census Cohorts | Most Recent TWC Cohorts |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 2016-2018 | 2018-2022 |
| Master’s | 2016-2020 | 2016-2022 |
| Professional | 2016-2020 | 2016-2022 |
What is the debt-to-income (DTI) ratio? How is it calculated?
The debt-to-income ratio is the monthly student loan payment as a percentage of monthly salary. For students who received loans, the median monthly student loan payment is divided by the median monthly salary. The ratio can be used as a guideline for determining how much a student may be able to afford to borrow, based on expected future earnings.
The monthly student loan payment is estimated using the median student loan debt at graduation and the standard repayment plan of paying a fixed amount each month over 10 years (120 payments). The interest rate for federal loans was based on the interest rate of the year, loan program, and student level during the year the loan was disbursed. The interest rate for other types of loans was based on the average interest rates for federal loans at different student levels and the year the loan was disbursed. For more information on student loans, repayment plans, and current interest rates by loan type, visit the office of Federal Student Aid.
How is the percent of graduates who continue their education determined?
The UT System exchanged data with the National Student Clearinghouse in order to calculate this information. Data presented are for the five most recent cohorts of UT bachelor's degree recipients (those who graduated between academic years 2017-18 and 2021-22).
Where did the areas of interest and majors come from?
Majors of interest come from the 2023 degree inventories of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, or National Center for Education Statistics’ Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP). Most of the specific 6-digit level CIP codes reflect institutions’ specific degree programs and declared majors. However, there are instances in which this was not possible if CIP codes were from 2010 or prior.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has updated the CIP over time — revisions most recently occurred in 2010 and 2020. CIP codes were crosswalked from the 2010 to 2020 designations when possible. As a result, there are a few cases in seekUT where you may see majors that reflect CIPs prior to 2020 CIP taxonomies. This would occur in instances where students in the earlier graduating cohorts earned degrees under the old CIP designations.
How are the industries in which graduates are working determined?
Industry designations come from the 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). This is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments. The 2-digit level NAICS aligns with the "broad industry," and the more specific 4-digit level aligns with the "specific industry" presented in seekUT.
Data on industry of employment is part of TWC employment record data. Data presented are for the current (2023) industry of employment for graduates from the five most recent cohorts (i.e., those receiving their degrees in academic years 2017-18 through 2021-22). seekUT includes graduates from those cohorts who were working full time for the full 2023 year and excludes graduates who were known to be enrolled in school in 2023.
How are the top occupations and top employers for graduates determined?
The top five occupations and top five employers for UT graduates (nationwide) come from a third-party company, Steppingblocks. Steppingblocks generates longitudinal workforce profiles from thousands of public sources.
How is the projected job growth in Texas determined?
Employment projections for 2020 through 2030 for Texas and its 28 Workforce Development Areas are based on the Texas Labor Market Information employment projections.