University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas ( also referred to as UT Dallas or UTD ) is a public research university in the University of Texas System . The main campus is in the heart of the Richardson , in the U . S . state of Texas , Telecom Corridor , 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 and Governor Preston Smith signed the bill officially creating the University of Texas at Dallas . UTD offers over 133 academic programs across its seven 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 . Entering freshmen average math and critical reading SAT scores are among the highest of the public universities in Texas and 1270 for 2012 . The Carnegie Foundation classifies UT Dallas as a " comprehensive doctoral research university " and a " high research activity institution " . Research projects include the areas of space science , bioengineering , cybersecurity , nanotechnology , and behavioral and brain sciences . UT Dallas owns approximately of generally contiguous land in Richardson , Texas consisting of for campus development and another adjacent to the main campus . From 2007 the university has added or started construction on more than of new facilities including the first academic structure in Texas to be rated a LEED Platinum facility . A $ 30 - million campus landscape enhancement was completed in late 2010 and an additional $ 15 - million campus landscape development phase is scheduled to begin in 2013 . The school has a Division III athletics program in the American Southwest Conference and fields 13 intercollegiate teams . Student activities include more than 225 registered organizations and students provided more than 20 , 000 volunteer hours at community agencies in 2010 . The university has a nationally recognized debate team , recruits worldwide for its chess team and the only school in Texas to field teams in all three of the major pre - law competitions . For the spring 2012 commencement the university granted 1 , 198 graduate and PhD degrees and 1 , 437 undergraduates degrees . History . Establishment . The UT Dallas founders , Eugene McDermott , Cecil Howard Green and J . Erik Jonsson , purchased Geophysical Service Incorporated ( GSI ) on December 6 , 1941 , the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor . With the increase in defense contracts the General Instrument Division of GSI grew to the point it was reorganized as Texas Instruments , Inc . ( TI ) in 1951 with GSI a wholly owned subsidiary . Qualified personnel required by TI were not readily available in the Dallas - Fort Worth area because the region ' s universities did not provide enough graduates with advanced training in engineering and physical sciences . TI was forced to recruit talent from other states during its expansion and the founders observed in 1959 that " To grow industrially , the region must grow academically ; it must provide the intellectual atmosphere , which will allow it to compete in the new industries dependent on highly trained and creative minds " . To compensate for this shortage they established the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest in 1961 . The institute initially was housed in the Fondren Science Library at Southern Methodist University . Land for the center was acquired by Jonsson , McDermott , and Green in Richardson in 1962 and the first facility , the Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Science ( later named the Founders Building ) , opened on the grounds of the present - day UTD campus in 1964 . The Graduate Research Center of the Southwest was renamed the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies ( SCAS ) in 1967 and in 1969 the founders transferred the land and assets of SCAS to the State of Texas . On June 13 , 1969 Governor Preston Smith signed the bill adding the institution to the University of Texas System and creating the University of Texas at Dallas . In 1969 the school accepted its first students . Physics , biology and geological sciences were the first PhD degrees offered . Francis S . Johnson served as interim president and William B . Hanson was named the director of the Division of Atmospheric and Space Sciences now known as the William B . Hanson Center for Space Sciences . Expansion and growth . In July 1971 , Bryce Jordan became the university ' s first president and served until 1981 . At that time the campus consisted of only one facility , the Founders Building . During Jordan ' s 10 year tenure the university received 275 acres ( 1 . 11 km2 ) of land in 1972 from the Hoblitzelle Foundation and the campus expanded with the addition of a number of new facilities including the Hoblitzelle Hall , Cecil H . Green Hall , J . Erik Jonsson Hall , Lloyd V . Berkner Hall , the Eugene McDermott Library , a campus bookstore and the Visual Arts Building . The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted accreditation to UT Dallas in 1972 and in 1973 the first UT Dallas diplomas were awarded . Prior to 1975 only graduate students were enrolled . Juniors and seniors were admitted for the first time in 1975 and enrollment increased from 700 in the fall of 1974 to 3 , 333 in 1975 and by the fall of 1977 to more than 5 , 300 students . The university ' s first bachelor ' s degree was awarded at the school ' s spring commencement in 1976 . The Callier Center for Communication Disorders became part of the University of Texas at Dallas in 1975 as part of the School of Human Development ( now the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences ) . Also in 1975 , the School of Management opened and has become the university ' s largest and offers programs at the undergraduate , graduate and executive levels . UT Dallas ' s first Nobel laureate , the late Polykarp Kusch , was a member of the physics faculty from 1972 to 1982 . When he retired , the university endowed a program of annual lectures with the theme Concerns of the Lively Mind in his honor . Robert H . Rutford , an Antarctic explorer recognized with the naming of the Rutford Ice Stream and Mount Rutford in Antarctica , became the second president of UT Dallas in May 1982 . Rutford served as head of the university until 1994 . During his tenure as president , the university secured approval for a school of engineering , added freshmen and sophomores to its student body and built the first on - campus housing . UT Dallas school of engineering opened in 1986 due to the efforts of business , community and education leaders . The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science is now the second - largest school at the university . By its 20th anniversary , in 1989 , enrollment at UT Dallas topped 8 , 000 . In 1990 , the Texas Legislature authorized the university to admit freshman and sophomore students . Franklyn Jenifer became the third president of UT Dallas in 1994 and served until 2005 . Under Jenifer , UT Dallas ' s enrollment increased from less than 8 , 500 to nearly 14 , 000 . Recent history . In the fall of 2001 Ray Baughman and Anvar Zakhidov left Honeywell International to establish the UT Dallas NanoTech Institute . With a donation in 2001 from Jim Von Ehr of $ 3 . 5 million and the 2002 appointment of the late Alan MacDiarmid ( April 14 , 1927 – February 7 , 2007 ) , UTD ' s second Nobel laureate , the institute has grown and is now the Alan G . MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute . The addition of new facilities continued with the Engineering and Computer Science South Building , a three - story add - on to the university ' s existing engineering facility in August 2002 and in the fall of 2003 the School of Management building opened and featured 29 classrooms , two computer labs , and a 350 - seat auditorium . In June 2005 , David E . Daniel became the fourth president of the University of Texas at Dallas and had served on the faculty at UT Austin and was the Dean of Engineering at the University of Illinois from 2001 to 2005 . He has continued the expansion of the campus with the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory , a four - story research facility , completed in December 2006 , the Center for BrainHealth , near the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , dedicated in January 2007 and almost of new facilities added from 2007 to 2010 . In 2009 UT Dallas marked its 40 years as a Texas public university and 20 years of freshman enrollment in the university . Academics . Rankings and Reputation . The " U . S . News & World Report ' s " 2013 edition of Best Colleges categorized the University of Texas at Dallas as a " Tier 1 " national university , ranked 151 overall , 80 in their national public school rankings and 3rd among Texas public universities . The 2012 Academic Ranking of World Universities placed UTD at 301 – 400 worldwide and 110 – 137 national rank . They also ranked UT Dallas Social Sciences at 51 – 75 worldwide and Economics / Business at 43 worldwide . In 2012 Times Higher Education ranked the university 167 in the world . " The Washington Monthly " 2012 annual college and university rankings placed UTD at 154 . " Kiplinger ' s " Personal Finance magazine , 100 Best Values in Public Colleges 2013 , ranked UTD at 60th in value for in state residents and 84th for out of state students . The University of Texas at Dallas was ranked 29th in the Times Higher Education 2012 list of the world ' s most outstanding young universities . The magazine selects the world ' s best universities that have been in existence for less than half a century . Nine schools in the U . S . made the list and UT Dallas was the highest - ranked in Texas . For different specialties , the " U . S . News and World Report " ' s , " America ' s Best Graduate Schools 2013 " , ranks the Full - Time MBA Program at 37 in the U . S . and 14 among public universities in the U . S . UTD ' s Undergraduate Business Programs was also ranked at 81st overall , 39th among public university business schools in the U . S . and also at 30th in overall student satisfaction according to " BusinessWeek ' s " 2010 rankings The 2010 " Bloomberg BusinessWeek " public universities rankings of undergraduate programs by specialty also placed the UTD school of management 10th in both Accounting and Business Law , 1st in teaching of Operations Research / Management Science / Business Statistics , 3rd in teaching of Calculus and Sustainability concepts , 6th in Financial Management , 7th in Business Ethics and 9th in Corporate Strategy and International Business course work . The 2012 " US News & World Report " ranked the university ' s graduate Audiology program 3rd in the nation and its graduate Speech - Pathology program 11th in the nation . UT Dallas ranked in the top 10 in the 2011 " Princeton Review ’ s " list of the top graduate Game Design programs . In 2010 the UTD Geography and Geospatial Sciences program ranked 16th nationally and first in Texas by " Academic Analytics " of Stony Brook , N . Y . In a 2012 study , assessing the academic impact of publications , the UT Dallas Criminology program was ranked fifth best in the world . The findings were published in the " Journal of Criminal Justice Education " . Colleges and Schools . For fall 2010 , the University of Texas at Dallas offered 133 academic programs across its seven schools including , 51 baccalaureate programs , 62 masters programs and 30 doctoral programs . The school also offers 30 undergraduate and graduate certificates . With a number of interdisciplinary degree programs its curriculum is designed to allow study that crosses traditional disciplinary lines and enable students to participate in collaborative research labs . In 2002 the UTD Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science was the first in the United States to offer an ABET - accredited B . S . degree in telecommunications engineering . UTD ' s Arts and Technology program is Texas ' s first comprehensive degree designed to merge computer science and engineering with creative arts and the humanities . In 2004 the School of Arts and Humanities introduced the Arts and Technology ( ATEC ) program with the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and in 2008 a complementary major , Emerging Media and Communication ( EMAC ) , was offered . In January 2007 the university offered the first doctoral degree in criminology in Texas . The School of Economic , Political and Policy Sciences administers the degree . The Bioengineering department offers MS and PhD degrees in biomedical engineering in conjunction with programs at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and the University of Texas at Arlington . Geospatial Information Sciences is jointly offered with the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and with the School of Economic , Political and Policy Sciences ( EPPS ) , which administers the degree . The EPPS program was the first from Texas admitted to the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science and offered the first master of science in geospatial information sciences in Texas . UT Dallas is the fourth university in the nation to received an accreditation from the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation ( USGIF ) for a Geospatial Intelligence certificate . Student Body . In fall 2012 , UTD had a total of 19 , 727 students enrolled consisting of 12 , 069 undergraduates students and 7 , 698 postgraduates students , which includes 1 , 227 doctoral students . Relative to most universities in the United States , the school is unusual because it has more males , 56 % , than females . The 2011 demographic ethnicity at the school was White Americans 42 % , Asian - American 18 % , International 18 % , Hispanic 11 % , and African - American 6 % . Top undergraduate majors are Business Administration , Biology , Accounting & Information Management , Psychology , Electrical Engineering , Arts & Technology , and Computer Science . The top graduate programs are Business Administration , Accounting , Computer Science , Electrical Engineering , Finance , Humanities , and Information Technology & Management . The " U . S . News & World Report ' s " 2012 edition of Best Colleges classified UTD ' s admission process as " more selective " with an acceptance rate of 53 . 4 % . In the fall 2012 – 13 academic year 1 , 545 freshmen enrolled of which , 42 % had finished in the top 10 % of their class , 73 % in the top quarter and 63 are National Merit Scholars . Entering freshmen average math and critical reading SAT scores were 1270 . For 2012 the middle 50 % of the freshmen had average scores as follows : in critical reading , 560 – 680 , math , 600 – 710 , and in writing 540 – 650 . The freshman - to - sophomore retention rate from 2009 to 2010 was 85 percent . For the spring 2012 commencement the university granted 1 , 198 graduate and PhD degrees and 1 , 437 undergraduates degrees . Student Scholarship Programs . All freshmen admitted to the university are automatically considered for an Academic Excellence Scholarship Award . Effective for the fall 2012 incoming freshmen class the awards range from $ 3 , 000 per year for tuition and mandatory fees up to complete coverage of UT Dallas tuition and mandatory fees plus $ 3 , 000 per semester cash stipend to defray the costs of books , supplies and other expenses . The McDermott Scholars Program , established at UT Dallas in 2000 , provides full scholarships and unique cultural and civic opportunities to academically talented high school students . UT Dallas is also among only seven universities whose students are eligible for consideration for Terry Scholarships and became part of the program in 2006 . Research . The 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classifies UT Dallas as a " comprehensive doctoral research university " and a " high research activity institution " . Research projects include the areas of space science , bioengineering , cybersecurity , nanotechnology , and behavioral and brain sciences . The university has more than 50 research centers and institutes and the UTD Office of Technology Commercialization , a technology transfer center , serves as the bridge between laboratory research and commercial development . For the fiscal year ending August 2012 , UTD ' s research expenditures totaled $ 90 . 6 million . Space science research has been a hallmark of the university since its inception in 1964 . The William B . Hanson Center for Space Studies ( CSS ) , affiliated with the Department of Physics , conducts research in space plasma physics . It has its roots in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Laboratory of the university ' s predecessor . The center also conducts a NASA - sponsored mission , Coupled Ion - Neutral Dynamics Investigation ( CINDI ) , which was launched in April 2008 in cooperation with the United States Air Force . CINDI , which is part of the payload for the Communication and Navigation Outage Forecast System program , seeks to uncover information about the equatorial plasma bubbles that interrupt radio signals . Furthermore , under the leadership of John H . Hoffman , the center designed the mass spectrometer for the Phoenix Mars Lander as part of the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer ( TEGA ) experiment in cooperation with the University of Arizona . UT Dallas conducts cybersecurity research in a number of areas including cross - domain information sharing , data security and privacy , data mining for malware detection , geospatial information security , secure social networks , and secure cloud computing . The university is designated a National Center of Academic Excellence and a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research for the academic years 2008 – 2013 by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security . The Alan G . MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute was established in 2001 when Ray Baughman , a pioneering nanotechnologist , became the Robert A . Welch Distinguished Chair in Chemistry and director of the university ' s NanoTech Institute . In 2007 , it was renamed in memory of the late Alan G . MacDiarmid , who shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in chemistry with Alan Heeger and Hideki Shirakawa . The NanoTech Institute has produced more than 200 refereed journal articles , 13 of which have been published in " Science " or " Nature " , and given over 300 lectures in the United States and abroad . Ray Baughman was ranked number 30 on the March 2 , 2011 , Thomson Reuters list of the top 100 materials scientists . The Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory ( NSERL ) , a four - story , research facility , was completed in December 2006 after two years of construction . Including ISO 7 cleanroom facilities , the $ 85 million building provides open floor plans that allows chemists , biologists , nanotechnologists , materials scientists and other specialists to conduct multidisciplinary research . The laboratory provides extensive wet lab , fabrication , instrumentation , and high performance computing facilities to foster biomedical engineering and nano - technology research . The Nanoelectronics Materials Laboratory , on the fourth floor , includes a system that allows researchers to deposit thin film materials one atomic layer at a time . In May 2011 a $ 3 millon JEOL ARM200F scanning transmission electron microscope with an atomic resolution of 0 . 78 picometers , was added to the research laboratory , already home to two transmission electron microscopes . The Center for BrainHealth , both its own facility and part of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences , is a research institute with clinical interventions focused on brain health . The center is located near the UT Dallas ' Callier Center for Communication Disorders and adjacent to the north campus of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the city of Dallas . Brain research is concentrated on brain conditions , diseases , and disorders including , Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder , autism , dementia , stroke , traumatic brain injury , and working memory . The Callier Center for Communication Disorders became part of the University of Texas at Dallas in 1975 as part of the School of Human Development ( now the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences ) . Research , at the center , includes the causes , prevention , assessment and treatment of communication disorders and the facilities include laboratories for research in child language development and disorders , autism spectrum disorders , speech production , hearing disorders , neurogenic speech and language , cochlear implants and aural habilitation . Additional ongoing research initiatives at UT Dallas include , researchers overseeing the long - running British Election Study ( BES ) . Harold Clarke , the Ashbel Smith professor of political science in the School of Economic , Political and Policy Sciences , and Marianne Stewart , professor of political science are the co - principal investigators for the study , which began in 1964 and is one of the world ' s oldest continuous political research projects . The other two co - investigators are David Sanders and Paul Whiteley of the University of Essex in England . Campus . The main campus is in the heart of the Richardson , Texas , Telecom Corridor , north of downtown Dallas , on the boundary of Dallas and Collin counties . UT Dallas owns generally contiguous land in Richardson , Texas consisting of approximately for campus development and another adjacent to the campus . UTD ' s Waterview Science & Technology Center and the Research and Operations Center , a leased building , are adjacent to the main campus , on the west side of Waterview Parkway in the Dallas , Texas city limits . UTD ' s Callier Center , 8 buildings , is on adjacent to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the city of Dallas and nearby the Center for BrainHealth , a single building , on . UTD ' s artist residency CentralTrak is located East of downtown Dallas one block away from Fair Park . The city of Richardson , Texas passed a bond election on May 8 , 2010 , which allocated $ 2 . 8 million in funding for a UT Dallas loop road to connect the roads around campus . The loop road will be designed to help keep traffic contained within the campus , rather than on the city ’ s roads . The " UTD Mercury " noted in a February 15 , 2011 article that a lack of on - campus parking has been an ongoing problem . Additional parking lots were added in 2011 and 2012 . However , due to the continued increase in enrollment , the lack of available parking spaces continues to be a frustrating issue for the students . Responding to continued enrollment growth the University of Texas System Board of Regents approved plans for three UTD parking structure to be completed by 2015 . The five - story structures will add an additional 2 , 250 spaces . The university received a " B - " on the 2011 " College Sustainability Report Card " , which includes efforts to protect and conserve natural resources and " The Princeton Review ’ s Guide to 322 Green Colleges : 2012 Edition " recognized UTD for their green campus efforts . Architecture . Early architecture on the campus exhibits typical characteristics of Brutalism , a popular civic style when the structures were designed and built . In accordance with this style , many of the early buildings are pale , off - white , precast concrete with repetitive structures . Later architecture exhibits late modern or postmodern features such as bronze glass , bronze aluminum frames , unadorned geometric shapes , unusual surfaces , and unorthodox layouts . This later modern styling is seen in the Engineering and Computer Science building , School of Management , Cecil and Ida Green Center , and Natural Science and Engineering Research Lab facility ( sometimes called the Mermaid Building due to its colorful anodized shingles ) . The Student Services building , completed in 2010 , is the first academic structure in Texas to be rated a LEED Platinum facility by the United States Green Building Council . To provide protection from inclement weather and extreme temperatures , many of the buildings on campus are connected by a series of elevated indoor walking paths also referred to as skyway s . Landscape Architecture . A 30 - million dollar Campus Landscape Enhancement Project , largely funded by Margaret McDermott the wife of UTD founder Eugene McDermott ( 1899 – 1973 ) , was started in October 2008 and completed in late 2010 . The project encompassed all aspects of landscape architecture from campus identity to pedestrian strategies , future growth patterns , sustainability and establishing a campus core . The project included the reforestation of the main entry drive with more than 5 , 000 native trees . Each tree hand - picked and individually arranged by the landscape architect after careful study of native stands in Texas , which includes the commitment to a riparian corridor consisting of a densely planted natural creek bed along the central entry median to the campus Allée . The main mall or ' Allée ' includes 116 hand - picked columnar ' Claudia Wannamaker ' Magnolias alongside five reflecting pools and four human - scale chess boards to represent the national and international achievements of the school ' s chess team . At the northern terminus of the Allée and between the McDermott Library and the Student Union is a pavilion - sized plaza . The plaza includes a granite fountain complete with mist column , an overhead trellis to be eventually covered in wisteria vines and a temperature - modifying shade structure design . The landscape architecture firm of Peter Walker and Partners ( PWP ) was the prime consultant for the project . PWP is recognized for design of the Millennium Parklands in Sydney , Australia for the 2000 Summer Olympics and currently the World Trade Center Memorial at Ground Zero in Manhattan . The next phase of the campus landscape upgrades will again be led by the landscape architect Peter Walker and his firm PWP Landscape Architecture of Berkeley , California . The $ 15 million enhancement is expected to began in 2013 and will include main pedestrian walkways and corridors on campus , the outdoor space between the Founders and University Theatre buildings and other areas on campus . Building plans . The university added almost of new facilities from 2007 through 2010 . The facilities include a Science Learning Center ( SLC ) , a renovation and expansion of Founders Hall , a Student Services Building and a 400 - bed Residence Hall South . More than of additional facilities are planned for completion from 2011 through 2013 . A second , $ 31 million , freshman Residence Hall North was started in July 2010 and officially completed on June 27 , 2011 . A $ 9 . 5 million , University Bookstore and Visitor Center was started in January 2011 and completed in July 2011 . A 3rd , $ 31 million , freshmen Residence Hall West has been completed for occupancy in fall 2012 . The UT System Board of Regents , approved plans for a 4th residence hall in time for the fall 2013 semester . A 5th 600 bed residential facility , including a dining hall with seating for 800 , a recreation center and a parking garage has also been approved by the UT System Board of Regents . Groundbreaking for a $ 60 million , , Arts and Technology Building was held on September 28 , 2011 with a projected completion date of fall 2013 . Spaces include 2 , 150 classroom seats and 50 faculty offices , a 1200 seat auditorium , 2D drawing and painting art studios , 3D art studios , and an exterior video screen showcasing ATEC projects and other visual arts . For the design UT Dallas chose Studios Architecture — the firm that designed Google Headquarters in Mountain View , California . A new Visual Arts Studio that will include areas for design , drawing , painting , sculpture studios and exhibition space is projected to start in June 2012 with a completion date in the summer of 2013 . The $ 10 million , facility will include space for advanced studio work for the Masters in Fine Arts . In October 2011 the University of Texas System Board of Regents approved a $ 25 million funding program to build a addition to the Naveen Jindal School of Management with an estimated completion date in 2014 . In February 2012 the UT System Board of Regents approved a Bioengineering and Sciences Building to be completed in 2015 . The $ 85 million building will accommodate 1 , 720 students in the science , technology , engineering and mathematics fields and add 48 tenure or tenure - track faculty members . The University of Texas System Board of Regents , in February 2013 , approved construction of a , $ 33 million extension of the Center for BrainHealth that will be known as the Brain Performance Institute . Also approved was a $ 20 million expansion and renovation project for the Callier Center for Communication Disorders . Student life . Activities . The University of Texas at Dallas has more than 225 registered student organizations , 19 national Greek - letter fraternities and sororities and students provided more than 20 , 000 volunteer hours at community agencies . UTD ' s Activity Center contains a fitness center , racquetball courts , squash courts , basketball courts , a multi - purpose room , and indoor swimming pool . Also available are sand volleyball courts , soccer fields , tennis courts , softball fields , baseball fields and a disc golf course . The university ’ s Club Sports Program consists of student organizations that promote common sports and recreation interests . The UTD Rugby Club Sports team won the Texas Rugby Union Collegiate Division III state championship held at the University of Texas at San Antonio on February 25 , 2012 . The UT Dallas Debate Team was established in the fall of 1996 and won the Cross Examination Debate Association ' s " Brady Lee Garrison Newcomer Sweepstakes Award " in spring 1997 . UTD first qualified a team for the National Debate Tournament in 2004 and has qualified each year since . In 2004 the team also hosted its first annual " Fear and Loathing " tournament , the largest annual regular season college tournament in the region with more than 325 participants , coaches , and judges in attendance . The UT Dallas debate squad finished its 2009 – 10 season as the only organization in the country to advance a team to the quarterfinals in both the 64th Annual National Debate Tournament and the Cross Examination Debate Association , held in March 2010 at the University of California , Berkeley . In March 2011 , UT Dallas was host to the 65th National Debate Tournament and placed 9th out of 78 teams . The UTD debate team placed fifth out of 58 teams at the March 2012 American Debate Association national championship held at Clarion University . This marks the fourth consecutive season the UTD debate team has reached the top five at nationals . The school fields teams in the major pre - law competitions : Moot Court , Mock Trial and Mediation . UT Dallas is the only Texas university to compete in all three and the law schools acceptance rate for UTD pre - law graduates was 86 % in 2009 . In November 2009 , the UT Dallas team won the National Mediation Tournament championship in the advocate / client division . The tournament was held at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago . In 2010 , UTD students again placed first and second in the advocate / client division to win the Dan Stamatelos National Trophy for Advocacy . The tournament was held at the Drake University Law School and UT Dallas was the only school to place two teams to the final rounds . UTD received first , second and fourth place at the November 2010 , South Central Regional Moot Court Championships . The University of Arkansas at Little Rock ' s , William H . Bowen School of Law was host to the 32 teams . UT Dallas Moot Court debate team placed first overall in the regional competition at the American Collegiate Moot Court Association National Tournament , hosted January 2012 at Chapman University in Orange , California . UTD ' s recent campus enhancement project included four human - scale chess boards to represent the national and international achievements of the school ' s chess team . The internationally ranked UT Dallas chess team was launched in 1996 under the direction of Timothy Redman , a two - time president of the U . S . Chess Federation and professor of literary studies in UTD ’ s School of Arts and Humanities . The university recruits worldwide for its chess team and 18 Grandmaster and International Masters have played for UT Dallas from 1996 to 2010 . UT Dallas offers chess scholarships to qualified student - players and several full four - year tuition tournament - based scholarships . UT Dallas has taken first place in eight of its 12 appearances at the Texas State College Championship and the UTD chess team has won or tied for first place in the Southwest Collegiate Championship for the years 2003 , 2004 , 2006 , 2007 , 2008 and 2009 . The UTD chess team has won the Transatlantic Cup in 2007 , 2008 , 2009 and tied the 2011 match with the University of Belgrade . Since 2000 , UTD ' s chess players have won or tied ten Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship titles . The UT Dallas chess team has competed in each consecutive Final Four of Chess tournaments starting in 2001 though 2013 , winning or tying for first place five times . The U . S . Chess Federation selected UT Dallas as the Chess College of the Year for 2012 . Student media . " The Mercury " is the official student newspaper of the University of Texas at Dallas since 1980 . They publish 5 , 000 copies every other Monday during the fall and spring semesters , and every third Monday during the summer . It is distributed free around campus or at the UTD newsroom in the Student Union . " The Mercury " also publishes online at utdmercury . com . In April 2011 , " The Mercury " won 12 awards at the 101st annual Texas Intercollegiate Press Association IPA convention . In 2004 , another student newspaper named " A Modest Proposal " ( " AMP " ) was formed . In contrast to " The Mercury " , which is almost all news articles , " AMP " features mostly editorial content . " AMP " is published once a month , eight times a year . Any student , faculty , or staff of UTD can contribute to the paper . Copies of " AMP " are available for free at the first of each month around the campus , and can also be downloaded in PDF format from their website . " Radio UTD " , the university ' s student - run , internet - only , radio station offers streaming music 24 hours a day , 7 days a week and broadcasts UTD sports games . Radio UTD has also been featured on XM Satellite Radio Channel 43 ( XMU ) on The Student Exchange Program . The radio station was nominated for three college radio awards at the 2010 College Music Journal annual Music Marathon and Festival . The nominations were for the following categories , Best Use of the Internet , Best Use of Limited Resources and Station of the Year . In 2009 , UTD TV , an internet - based campus TV station , was founded and launched by students . Still in its infancy , it has already webcast a range of student - interest programs from campus news and amusing serial stories to student affairs coverage . Residential housing . Total on - campus housing capacity for the 2012 – 2013 academic year was 5 , 154 beds , which consisted of 1 , 237 apartments ( 3 , 954 beds ) and three 400 - bed residential halls for freshmen . The apartments are split into two areas . Buildings 1 – 37 , 696 units , are owned by the Utley Foundation and is a self - managing entity under the name Waterview Park Apartments , LLC . Buildings 38 – 67 , 541 units , and the residence halls are owned by the university and privately managed by American Campus Communities under the name University Village . Apartment floor plans vary from 1 - bedroom to 4 - bedroom units and amenities include swimming pools , volleyball courts , outdoor grills , and study centers . According to a " UTD Mercury " September 18 , 2011 article both graduate and upperclassman housing continues to be in short supply due to the increase in enrollment . During the 2010 fall semester , 64 percent of new freshmen lived on campus and 23 percent of undergraduates lived in on - campus housing . On August 12 , 2009 a residence hall , ( Residence Hall South ) , opened providing housing for 384 full - time freshmen residents and 16 peer advisers . The new residence hall offers living learning environments that group students with similar interests and majors . The building includes a mix of three - bedroom , single - bath suites for freshmen and one - bedroom , one - bath units for peer advisers . On each wing and each floor are several communal study areas and the ground floor features a glass - enclosed rotunda with pool and ping - pong tables , large - screen televisions , couches and chairs . A 2nd , residence hall , ( Residence Hall North ) , was officially completed June 27 , 2011 and a 3rd freshmen residence hall , ( Residence Hall West ) , adjacent to the two existing halls was completed in August 2012 . The UT System Board of Regents has approved plans for a 4th residence hall in time for the fall 2013 semester . A 5th , , 600 bed residential facility , including a dining hall with seating for 800 , a recreation center and a parking garage has also been approved by the UT System Board of Regents . Dining on campus . Students have a selection of food sources on campus . The dining hall opened on August 12 , 2009 in conjunction with the opening of the first residence hall . The dining hall provides seating for more than 400 and offers a variety of options including vegetarian and vegan options , home - style entrees , grilled - to - order items , pizzas and pasta , made - to - order omelets and traditional Tex - Mex cuisine . All first - year students living on campus are required to purchase a meal plan ; meal plans are optional for all other students who live on campus . The Student Union building houses The Pub and the Comet Cafe food court which includes a Subway , Chick - fil - A , Chef ’ s Table and Papa John ' s . Outtakes Grab - and - Go , located between the Comet Café and the Dining Hall , provides a salad bar , drink station , cold sandwiches , pre - packaged salads , rice bowls , sushi , chips , snacks and fruit . Starting in fall 2012 the university will provide food truck services at various locations and times . The curbside menu will include burger sliders , ethnic sandwiches in pocket bread , Asian wraps . Sides will include fries , fresh fruit , chips , cookies , and hummus and pita with fresh veggies . Traditions . Some of the traditions that give UT Dallas its distinctive flavor are Homecoming , Annual Oozeball Tournament , Ceremonial Mace , Legacy Lane , Welcome Week , Sounds of Class , Family Day , Splatterbeat and Cecil Green ’ s Head . Cecil Green helped found the University of Texas at Dallas and outside Green Hall there is a bronze bust of Cecil Green . Rubbing Green ’ s head for good luck has become a tradition for many students on their way to exams or presentations . Holiday Sing is one of the oldest tradition on campus , the annual Holiday Sing started in 1976 and is hosted by the School of Arts and Humanities during the month of December . In front of the Erik Jonsson Academic Center is the sculpture " Jack " , created in 1971 by artist Jim Love ( 1927 – 2005 ) . Margaret McDermott , wife of UTD founder Eugene McDermott ( 1899 – 1973 ) , presented the sculpture to the university in 1976 . The sculpture is affectionately known on campus as the Love Jack . Recently added is the Spirit Rock on the mall between the Jonsson and Green buildings . Students and organizations are allowed to paint whatever they like on the rock , provided it conforms to rules of student conduct . Athletics . The University of Texas at Dallas athletics program started when UTD provisionally joined the NCAA Division III and the American Southwest Conference ( ASC ) in 1998 and was granted full membership in the ASC in 2002 . Varsity sports include baseball , basketball , cross country , golf , soccer , softball , tennis , and volleyball . In addition to varsity sports , the university ' s Sport Clubs Programs offers recreational and competitive sport clubs , including inline hockey , fencing , rugby , racquetball , mixed martial arts and soccer . Varsity athletics . During the 2002 inaugural season , the men and women ' s soccer teams competed for conference championships . The women won the 2002 ASC title and UTD ended up hosting the conference tournament as well as the first round of NCAA playoffs in UTD ' s first year as active members . The success continued in 2003 – 04 when men ' s and women ' s soccer , men ' s basketball , baseball and softball all advanced to the post - season . In 2005 , the UTD Athletic Program claimed three ASC Championships : men ' s soccer and men ' s basketball as well as a co - championship in women ' s soccer . The men ' s soccer and basketball teams advanced to the NCAA Division III national playoffs in their sports . On December 20 , 2006 the Comets men ' s basketball team upset the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks 78 – 76 at UT Arlington ' s Texas Hall and became the first Division III team to defeat a Division I basketball team during the 2006 – 2007 season . In 2007 , the men ' s soccer team won the ASC championship , advancing to the NCAA tournament . Having 8 new team players as starters and only 3 veterans , the Comets led by top goal scorers Kevin White from Houston and Mihai Cotet from Braila , Romania led the team to its second ASC Tournament title in history . The 2007 men ' s tennis program had a very successful season , beating Division II teams and advancing as far as the ASC Conference final before falling to Hardin - Simmons . The women ' s volleyball team claimed the 2009 American Southwest Conference championship at the UT Dallas Activity Center . The 25 – 0 , 2009 women ' s volleyball team was the only undefeated NCAA Division III team in the nation at the time . The women ’ s volleyball team won the 2011 ASC East title with an un - defeated home record of 6 – 0 , and a conference record of 14 – 2 . The woman ' s 2009 basketball team won the ASC East Division title , whereas the UTD men ' s basketball team won the ASC East Division both in 2010 and 2011 . The men ' s baseball team won the 2012 season ASC East Division Champions after closing out the regular season with a 27 - 13 overall record ( 14 - 4 in the ASC ) and qualifying for the ASC Tournament for the ninth time in the program ’ s 11 - year history . The UT Dallas women basketball team won the 2013 American Southwest Conference title . Notable people . UT Dallas people includes an Antarctic explorer , an astronaut , members of the National Academies , a Nobel laureate , a writer and folklorist , a member of India ’ s Parliament , the founder of the world ’ s first molecular nanotechnology company and others who have achieved prominent careers in business , government , engineering , science , medicine , the arts and education .