University of Houston President Renu Khator delivers the State of the University address, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Matthew Guzman/The Cougar
The 2025 State of the University address took place Wednesday, Oct. 8, where details about challenges facing higher education and advancements at the University were highlighted by President Renu Khator.
“UH is managing to succeed in all areas from student access to student success, to research and national visibility,” Khator said.
Applications for fall 2025 saw 48,000 prospective students for the 6,200 freshmen seats the University had available, leading to an increase in capacity and a record-breaking enrollment of 6,700 freshmen.
The total student enrollment at UH is about 49,000 for this fall, another historic high, Khator said.
This increase in enrollment has led UH to build a new 1,000-bed residence hall and a dining hall, which are expected to be completed in 2027 and located across from Cougar Village.
“As you can see, UH has fast become the university of first choice for many Texans,” Khator said. “More and more freshmen are coming to us directly from high school than waiting to come as transfer students.”
Regardless of growth, Khator said UH has remained committed to its mission of providing opportunities to first-generation college students.
Khator noted a dip in the public’s trust in higher education in the past, but said a Gallup survey taken in June 2025 showed the public’s trust has increased from 36% to 42%. It was the only U.S. institution to do so, regardless of political affiliation.
Along with low public trust, declining enrollment has also challenged higher education institutions nationwide.
“Most universities — public or private — rely on enrollment to fund their operations, and now we see that enrollment is declining nationwide,” Khator said. “Fewer children are born today than 15 years ago due to a decline in the fertility rate, which means that there are fewer kids in the pipeline to go to college.”
Despite these trends, UH continues to grow and improve across multiple areas, Khator said.
The University’s research expenditures reached $279 million this year, with more than $126 million in federal funding. UH’s College of Pharmacy ranked No. 25 nationally in NIH-funded research, and the College of Optometry ranked in the top 10.
Cullen College of Engineering professor Venkat Selvamanickam received an $8 million federal grant for fusion research, the only one awarded in Texas.
UH also saw improvements in national rankings, rising to No. 43 among public universities in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges” and entering the top 50 public universities in the QS World Rankings for the first time.
“It’s the first time that we are ranked in the 60s, only 18 spots away from our goal of becoming an overall top 50 public university,” Khator said.
Khator also highlighted student achievements, including English major Kalena Holeman being named a Gates Cambridge Scholar and Mielad Ziaee earning a Marshall Scholarship to study in the United Kingdom.
UH athletics made national headlines earlier this year when the Cougars men’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA championship game, which drew more than 18 million viewers, more than the NBA Finals Game 7, Khator said.
Looking ahead to the University’s centennial in 2027, Khator said nearly $1 billion in construction projects are underway, including new academic buildings, research facilities, residence halls and dining spaces.
Among those projects are the Medical Research Building, Centennial Hall, the Innovation Hub and a new home for the Hobby School of Public Affairs.
“Our mission is clear — we are in the business of transforming lives,” Khator said. “Yes, we have challenges, but we also have opportunities. The headwinds you see can be turned into tailwinds with the determination and grit that is known to be in the Cougar DNA.”
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