Alumni Share Opinions About Their Experiences and Future of UNT Dallas

UNT Dallas values feedback from alumni and seeks their advice to help guide our future path. In our 2023 Alumni Attitude Survey, they answered a detailed list of questions and shared opinions about an important range of topics.

The survey was conducted by the Performance Enhancement Group (PEG, Ltd.), a Texas-based research and consulting firm. Since 2001, PEG has collected data from more than one million alumni of hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide, both public and private.

Their findings allow UNT Dallas and UNT Dallas College of Law to compare our alumni survey results to a broad spectrum of other higher education institutions. This is done blindly and anonymously for all participants so that none are able to know who they are compared to or who is comparing themselves to others.

The 2023 Alumni Attitude Survey yielded clear, actionable feedback about what UNT Dallas does well and how we can do even better. Alumni care deeply about this university and feel a unique connection to it; they are glad they earned a degree here and want us to reach new heights. Many also plan to support UNT Dallas financially through donations in the coming years.

UNT Dallas alumni describe themselves as hardworking, self-motivated, resilient, and adaptable. They want to know that the value of a UNT Dallas degree will increase over time. They want to hear about how the student experience is improving and how graduates are being equipped for lifelong prosperity.

Among the key findings:

• Nearly 90% rate their decision to attend UNT Dallas as “great” or “good,”, with almost 70% responding as “great”
• More than 90% are willing to promote UNT Dallas; about a third say they promote the university “all the time,” while more than half say they promote the university “regularly” or “occasionally”
• Two-thirds describe their experiences as an alum “great” or good”
• Nearly 90% say their overall current opinion of UNT Dallas is “excellent” or “good”

Those four questions made up the Affinity Index. UNT Dallas scored 78% percent, which is very strong for a public university so young. By comparison, the Affinity Index combining all participating institutions nationwide, including prestigious private colleges and universities and well-established public colleges and universities, is 79%.

At basically a tie, that’s quite an accomplishment, indicating a promising trajectory for the future of UNT Dallas: our image and reputation, firm commitment to supporting and strengthening the community, and, most importantly, the success and socioeconomic mobility of our students.

When it comes to the time they spent at UNT Dallas, survey respondents told us:

• 90% say their experience as a student was “excellent” or “good”
• More than 60% percent rate their choice of a major as a “great” decision, while another quarter (24%) rate their major choice as “good”

On a loyalty scale, alumni felt most loyal to these three areas of the university:
   1) Their major or degree program
   2) A faculty member or instructor
   3) Their school/college within UNT Dallas

The skills alumni feel UNT Dallas best prepared them for include:

• Effective writing
• Critical thinking
• Ethical reasoning and action
• Problem-solving
• Effective oral communication
• Quantitative reasoning
• Collaborating with others
• Decision-making

Through the survey, alumni also communicated:

• On a scale of 0-10, more than a third (36%) feel very connected to UNT Dallas, responding in the 8-10 range; another 48% positioned themselves in the middle of the scale within the 4-7 range
• On a scale of 0-10, two-thirds (66%) are likely to recommend UNT Dallas to a prospective student
• They are most likely to engage in:
• Alumni-specific and UNT Dallas events
• Continuing education, lifelong learning programs
• Mentoring students
• Networking with other alumni
• Volunteering

Looking ahead, respondents shared:

• Lack of time is the biggest barrier to participation in alumni activities, followed by geographical distance
• 62% say that they plan to provide future financial support to UNT Dallas through donations, even though they have not yet done so
• Top action items most important to alumni include:
• Networking opportunities and mentoring
• Staying connected with fellow alumni and the university
• Supporting UNT Dallas by giving back through monetary contributions, volunteering and advocating for the university
• Career opportunities and job search support
• Building a stronger alumni community and network

The research results even generated word clouds with the names of popular professors, program leaders, and deans at the main campus and College of Law.

The UNT Dallas Alumni Association hosts activities and events throughout the year. Anyone who has ever been a student at UNT Dallas is welcome to participate. Whether you completed your degree at UNT Dallas, attended UNT Dallas but have a degree from UNT (Denton), or took classes here but did not graduate – you are a member of our alumni family. We also encourage the involvement of non-alumni friends of the university.

As a young university with an even younger outreach effort, we are working to build several communication publications, events, programs and initiatives to keep you informed and involved with your alma mater.

With that in mind, please help us to keep you up to date by sending us your contact information anytime you change mailing addresses, email, and phone numbers. Also, please let us know about the major new developments in your life. Whether you have remained in Dallas or are now halfway around the world, we want to keep up with you, hear from you and serve you.