Origins and founding (1997–2000) In 1997, Texas state senator
Royce West suggested a feasibility study for a state university in southern
Dallas County, an area of Dallas County that is predominantly
African American and was then served only by the private
Paul Quinn College. The campus, which was to become the first public university within Dallas city limits, was launched at a temporary location in the spring 2000 semester with an enrollment of 204 part-time students, a full-time equivalent enrollment of 55 students.
Campus establishment and growth (2001–2010) The Dallas City Council approved a resolution in June 2001 to provide up to $3 million by January 2002 to buy about in southern Dallas'
I-20 corridor for the future UNT Dallas campus. Private donations raised the size of the property for the new university campus to . A 2001 bill passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by governor
Rick Perry authorized the UNT System to establish UNT Dallas as an independent university once enrollment reached 2,500. A 2003 bill changed the requirement to the
equivalent of 1,000 full-time students for one semester. A ground-breaking ceremony for the first building on the future campus took place in October 2005. The first permanent building on the UNT Dallas Campus site, a building, was occupied in January 2007. The building was made possible by a state tuition revenue bond initiative of $25.5 million. Further funding from the same source was used to construct the second building, and construction began in 2009. Enrollment on the UNT Dallas Campus initially grew at an average annual rate of 14 percent per year and reached the necessary full-time equivalent of 1,000 students during the spring semester of 2007. In April 2009, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board certified this enrollment and granted UNT Dallas status as an independent general academic institution. Freshmen and sophomores were admitted for the first time in the Fall of 2010.
Leadership and institutional development (2010–present) In 2010, the University of North Texas at Dallas admitted its first freshman and sophomore classes, marking its transition into a four-year institution. This same year, construction was completed on Founders Hall, the university’s second academic building. In 2013, the
UNT Dallas College of Law was established as part of the UNT System, with Senior U.S. District Judge
William Royal Furgeson, Jr. serving as the founding dean. The law school is located downtown in the
Dallas Municipal Building. It began accepting students in 2014 and was granted full accreditation by the American Bar Association in 2022. In 2016, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system opened the
UNT Dallas Station on the Blue Line, improving public transportation access to the campus. That same year, university enrollment surpassed 3,000 students for the first time. The university’s first residence hall, Wisdom Hall, opened in 2017, providing on-campus housing for students. In 2019, UNT Dallas opened a new Student Center, which includes dining facilities, student services, and event spaces. In 2020, the university launched the Trailblazer Elite Program to provide academic and social support for first-generation college students. In 2021, the Hart Amphitheater opened as an outdoor venue for academic and cultural programming. In 2022, the university dedicated the Ryan Tower, a structure located at the center of campus, funded by a $2 million private gift. That same year, UNT Dallas established the Center for Socioeconomic Mobility Through Education to support research and community engagement on educational access and upward mobility. In 2023, the university broke ground on a $100 million STEM facility, designed to expand instruction and research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The building is scheduled for completion in 2025. During this period, UNT Dallas expanded its academic offerings, student services, and physical campus, and added several support programs and facilities intended to serve a growing and diverse student population. As of 2025, the university offers 22 undergraduate program, 8 graduate programs, and one professional degree (Juris Doctor). In March 2026, the university announced that tuition would be free for students in families that earn less than $100,000 per year. ==Schools and College of Law==