Answers to these questions are based on linked sources or interviews with members of the UTD Office of Finance and Budget.
Faculty and staff salaries for university employees throughout the state of Texas can be found at texascollegesalaries.com. According to the Office of Student Employment, the average hourly wage for student assistants in fiscal year 2022 was $11.64/hr.
Specific groupings are more nuanced, but the general rule is as follows:
First, it is important to note that all revenues listed in the operating budget are estimated. Operating budgets are plans for the future that are created far in advance and approved by various groups. Because students generally pay tuition prior to the university incurring the full costs for that semester, the university is receiving advance payment for its services. Parts of this advance payment are invested with UTIMCO, the University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company. This group then invests the money in short- and medium-term funds. The interest and capital gains from these investments are then used as reserve funds for unbudgeted, unforeseen expenses.
Adjustments are an accounting representation used to remove duplication from the budget. A simple example are tuition discounts. The university pays for various scholarships. These scholarships are listed as expenses, and the tuition paid by the scholarship is listed as a revenue. Adjustments remove this duplication.
The operating budget is generally within 1 to 4 percent of the true revenue and expenses.
All borrowing by the university is done in conjunction with the University of Texas System. University officials send their debt requests to the system, which must be approved by the Board of Regents. The requests from all member institutions within the system are bundled to give the system improved bargaining power when obtaining the requested investments. The debt service payments on these loans are generally paid from reserve funds that are collected form yearly revenues.
The donor of an endowment determines its intended purpose and sets limitations on its spending. Current endowments can be found at the Office of Development and Alumni Relations website. Generally, the prinicpal amount of the endowment is left invested, through UTIMCO, while earnings from the investment are utilized. In many cases, endowment balancing reinvests a small portion of the earnings to ensure the principal is resistant to the effects of inflation.
In general, any service that is outside the core mission of the university—education for degree-seeking students—should be self-suppporting. This means that these services should bring in enough revenue to sustain their activities. This applies to dining, housing, and executive education.