Largest donation to UNT’s business school will ‘transform’ the lives of students
The University of North Texas’ G. Brint Ryan College of Business has received its largest financial gift in the school’s history, the university announced this week.
The gift, approximately $20 million, is from an anonymous group of donors and longtime supporters of the school, including one UNT alumnus, the school said.
North Texas plans to use the funds to create a permanent legacy endowment for its business school, which will provide full cost-of-attendance scholarships for high-achieving students.
The donation also advances North Texas’ overall Better Look North donation campaign, which has a goal of $100 million. The campaign focuses on removing barriers to completing a college degree and equipping students with all the resources and opportunities needed to thrive on UNT’s campus.
“Our alumni have told me time and again how their education at UNT changed their lives, and this historic gift embodies this legacy in the truest sense of the word,” wrote UNT President Harrison Keller in a statement. “This gift reflects a deep commitment to our students, our vision at UNT to guide grit to greatness, and the transformational power of a UNT degree.”
North Texas said the donors chose to remain unnamed but described them as a group of donors who are longtime, deeply engaged supporters of the Ryan College of Business.
University leaders at UNT have told state lawmakers that too many students have to leave their programs before completion because of financial reasons. But when tuition is granted, those issues go away, wrote UNT’s Vice President for Advancement Brandon Buzbee, in a statement.
“This is the kind of investment that changes the trajectory of a student’s life,” Buzbee wrote. “By covering the full cost of attendance, this scholarship removes one of the biggest barriers to completion and allows high-achieving students to finish strong and step into their career with momentum.”
The anonymous donors also said they view the gift as a chance to not only invest in the school, but a chance to create a broader impact on the communities, profession and world graduates will take on after completion of their degrees.
“We believe strongly in the hard work and determination that we see in the many UNT business students who are working to become the leaders of tomorrow,” the donors wrote in a joint statement. “Our hope is that by removing financial barriers, students can focus fully on their education and graduate without the uncertainty or disruption that financial challenges can create.”
The anonymous gift also comes just days after UNT announced its North Texas Promise Program, which will guarantee that eligible first-year students from Texas will have free tuition for up to four years or eight consecutive semesters. Students who come from families with a total income less than $100,000 qualify for the program, which will begin during the fall 2026 semester.
