The University of Texas at El Paso just posted its biggest fundraising year in school history, pulling in $73 million in philanthropic support during fiscal year 2025-26 and blowing past its previous record by more than $20 million. More than 6,700 donors contributed, according to the university, with money flowing toward scholarships, research, faculty hiring, campus upgrades and athletics.
UTEP President Heather Wilson tied the milestone directly to the people writing checks, saying “this historic achievement reflects the extraordinary confidence our supporters have in our mission,” according to El Paso Inc. The outlet also reported that contributions are meant to support student scholarships, academic and research initiatives, faculty recruitment and retention, campus enhancements, athletics and other university priorities. It's worth noting that a separate figure from KFOX-TV put UTEP's overall giving for fiscal year 2026 at roughly $67.5 million, calling it the first time annual fundraising topped $60 million; what explains the gap between that number and the $73 million figure, whether different accounting definitions or something else, isn't addressed in either report.
A Jump That Outpaces Years of Steady Growth
This year's total didn't come out of nowhere. UTEP's fundraising reached $50.5 million in FY24 before falling to $41,558,827 in FY25.
Fiscal year 2025 then brought in $41,558,827 from more than 6,428 donors, the fourth straight year giving topped $40 million. That year alone produced 17,162 unique gifts spread across 514 supported programs and projects, and more than 1,900 people gave to UTEP for the first time, the same figures showing just how much the donor base has been expanding year over year.
Who Gave, And Why
Behind the record total are gifts both large and deeply personal. Lou Ella Burmeister gave $80,000 to support College of Liberal Arts students studying abroad, while Wang Tang made a $19,750 gift to the Golden Grad Endowed Scholarship Fund in honor of his 50th reunion. Victoria Borrego pledged $10,000 toward engineering internships, hands-on projects and equipment at the Miguel A. Loya College of Engineering.
Frank and Shirley Sloan provided a $30,000 matching gift and donor challenge to the Woody L. Hunt College of Business Student Success Fund during Raise Your Pick Giving Day, UTEP's annual day of philanthropy and community engagement. Their challenge helped attract more than 90 donors and contributed to establishing a new program supporting student experiential learning opportunities, according to the university's account cited by El Paso Inc.
Jesse Pisors, UTEP's vice president for institutional advancement, framed the record as more than a dollar figure, saying it reflected the university's growing reputation for its impact on graduates and the region. With philanthropic participation also hitting a new high this year, the numbers suggest UTEP's donor base isn't just giving more, it's getting bigger, one $19,750 reunion gift and one $80,000 gift supporting students studying abroad at a time.
