Throughout his presidency, Ángel Cabrera made it clear that Georgia Tech’s success would be measured by the number of lives it changed, and he challenged the Institute to deliver excellence at scale. The “Cabrera Era” stands out as a period of tremendous growth, increased access, transformative innovation, and exceptional value to students and their families. Under his leadership, degree conferrals, research awards, commercialization, state support, and philanthropy all reached record levels.
President Cabrera’s legacy goes beyond typical higher-education measures. Instead, it shows in Georgia Tech’s remarkable ability to deliver value in the areas that matter most — at a time when it has been most urgently needed.
President Cabrera takes a selfie with students and Buzz in front of Tech Tower.
President Cabrera takes a selfie with a student and her parents on move-in day, August 2026.
President Cabrera shakes hands with students at Commencement, May 2026.
Educating More Students
President Cabrera’s vision for Georgia Tech was to serve as many students as possible and to deliver the best value and strongest return on investment in higher education. He believed access, excellence, and value should be prioritized equally.
Since 2019, annual enrollment has grown by 55% and now exceeds 56,700 students. Much of that growth stems from the expansion of Georgia Tech’s online master’s degree programs, which now include analytics, computer science, and cybersecurity, with the new Online Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence scheduled to launch in 2027. These programs have made a Georgia Tech education accessible and affordable to tens of thousands of working professionals.
While the enrollment growth was significant, President Cabrera’s true measure of successful growth was the number of degrees earned. Over the seven years he led, degree conferrals increased 64%, with nearly 14,000 diplomas earned during the 2025 academic year. Graduation rates rose; six-year graduation rates reached 94% and four-year graduation rates climbed from 51% to 75%.
During the same period, in-state tuition and fees fell by 4.32% (or 26.5% when adjusted for inflation), while the median salary among alumni 10 years after graduation increased to exceed the national average by 73%. This commitment to affordability and student outcomes earned Georgia Tech recognition as the No. 1 best value public university in the country by The Princeton Review.
President Cabrera visits Mark Prausnitz's lab to see needle‑free and microneedle drug‑delivery technologies being developed for real‑world medical use.
President Cabrera visits Professor Craig Forest and the Precision Biosystem Laboratory in 2023.
President Cabrera visits Professor Aaron Young and the Georgia Tech EPIC Lab.
Research That Matters
Cabrera’s presidency also coincided with a major expansion of Georgia Tech’s research enterprise. From artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to advanced manufacturing, energy, biotechnology, and national security, Georgia Tech is transforming scientific breakthroughs into solutions with real human impact.
Research awards jumped to a record $1.54 billion — a half-billion-dollar increase in just seven years — while expenditures rose 62% to $1.35 billion. For the past five years, Georgia Tech has operated the largest research enterprise in the nation among institutions without a medical school, and now ranks No. 2 nationally in federally sponsored research, up from No. 9 in 2019.
This work includes research that protects military service members, advances new medical diagnostics and treatments, strengthens critical infrastructure, and develops technologies that create companies and jobs.
Under President Cabrera’s leadership, Georgia Tech has also moved a record number of innovations from lab to market, rising from No. 48 to No. 19 in the world for utility patents issued to faculty. In 2026, Tech recorded a record 517 invention disclosures, 134 patents issued, and 179 startups launched. The startup figure alone is more than triple the 57 launched in 2019.
President Cabrera and a delegation from Georgia Tech visit a kaolin mine operated by Thiele Kaolin Company near Sandersville as part of the 2026 President's Summer Tour across Georgia.
President Cabrera shakes hands with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens at the 2024 Avant South conference in Science Square.
President Cabrera joins the ribbon-cutting at George Tower | Scheller Tower in September 2026.
Serving Georgia
Sharing the vision of the leaders who came before him, President Cabrera also prioritized amplifying Georgia Tech’s impact and influence beyond campus. He has championed the Institute as an anchor of innovation, using its talent, research, and partnerships in the quest to establish Atlanta as a top five tech hub in the country.
Building on Georgia Tech’s long-term investment in the neighborhoods surrounding campus, Cabrera has overseen landmark developments: the completion and continued expansion of Tech Square and the launch of Science Square and Creative Quarter.
This year’s completion of the George Tower | Scheller Tower signaled the full realization of a development more than 25 years in the making. Opening in 2024, Science Square extends that model into biomedical research and innovation.Creative Quarter, the newest planned innovation district, connects Georgia Tech with Atlanta’s creative industries at the intersection of technology, art, and entertainment. Together, these innovation hubs have created a vibrant network where entrepreneurship, discovery, and creativity thrive.
For the state, Georgia Tech generated $6.3 billion in statewide economic impact last year, which accounts for more than a quarter of Georgia’s entire public university system and a 12-to-1 return on state funding.
President Cabrera, Gov. Brian Kemp, and first lady Marty Kemp shake hands with Buzz at the grand opening of the Georgia Tech Atrium in Peachtree Corners in 2025.
A panel discussion hosted by the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering reflects on the historic $100 million gift from alumnus John Durstine in 2025.
A Vision Worth Investing In
Perhaps the clearest evidence of the trust and confidence Georgia Tech has earned during the Cabrera Era is the scale of investment it has received from public officials and private donors.
Annual state appropriations now stand at a record $641 million, nearly double the level Georgia Tech received in 2019. Philanthropic support has reached an all-time high as well. In fiscal year 2026, Georgia Tech raised more than $415 million, setting a third consecutive annual fundraising record and exceeding the previous record by more than $100 million. That surge pushed Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech beyond its $2 billion goal with 18 months remaining in the campaign.
These investments have supported scholarships, research, faculty, student experiences, new academic programs, and major facilities. They signal the trust and belief people have in Georgia Tech and the strength of the Institute under Cabrera’s leadership.
During a particularly challenging period for American higher education, President Cabrera elevated Georgia Tech to serve more people and deliver real-world results. His vision for improving lives — a vision shared by the entire Georgia Tech community — has made a meaningful, measurable difference.
Credits
Written by Kathleen Conley
Edited by Stacy Braukman
Graphics by Stephen Mullinax