Soon, the biggest UT might be Arlington’s

Austin, watch out.

The University of Texas at Arlington is on track to become the largest UT.

This is no joke. UT Arlington has about 45,000 students enrolled worldwide and is enrolling more, while UT Austin is steady at about 51,000 students.

Soon — maybe by next year — the Arlington campus will pass Austin as the system’s largest university.

UT Arlington’s global reputation continues to attract students both on campus and online. The university is ranked as one of the nation’s most diverse by U.S. News & World Report, meaning that students learn about the world from their lessons and also from their classmates.

The College of Nursing and Health Innovation remains the largest in Texas. The College of Engineering has 7,238 students, with a goal of 10,000 by 2020.

Tarrant County’s other undergraduate state university campus also reported growth. Tarleton-Fort Worth, part of the Texas A&M University System, enrolled 1,843 students this fall, up 7 percent.

In Fort Worth, the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s enrollment is 2,381, including 916 in the medical school.

Universities are helping bring Tarrant County the world’s best and brightest.

This story was originally published September 20, 2016 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Soon, the biggest UT might be Arlington’s."