UTRGV ranked 6th nationally, 2nd in state on costs versus long-term income for students
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Photo above — UTRGV began the Fall 2023 semester on Monday, Aug. 28, with several accolades including being ranked sixth in the U.S. among all public and private higher education institutions in offering students high economic opportunity and mobility by Third Way, a national nonprofit think tank. (UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy)
Edinburg Texas– Aug. 29, 2023 – UTRGV has been ranked sixth in the United States among all public and private universities in offering students high economic opportunity and mobility.
Third Way, a national nonprofit think tank, announced the ranking in a recent report – the 2023 Economic Mobility Index (EMI) – which featured 1,409 U.S. higher education institutions.
UTRGV had an EMI of 57.2 percent and was the only University of Texas System school ranked in the Top 10. In addition, based on Fall 2022 enrollment numbers, UTRGV ranked No. 1 both nationally and in Texas in EMI among universities with more than 30,000 students. For the fourth straight year, UTRGV on Monday recorded first-day enrollment of more than 32,000 students for Fall 2023.
Introduced in 2022, the EMI is different from traditional rankings as it measures institutional value and highlights institutions that are fulfilling higher education’s purpose of promoting economic mobility for their students.
UTRGV President Guy Bailey said it is important to consider the size of the enrollment among the Top 10.
“We are easily the largest university among the schools that are ranked in the Top 10, and that says a lot about what we’ve been able to accomplish,” Bailey said. “It’s one thing to do it on a small scale, but to do it at our scale reflects our commitment to student success and to transforming the Rio Grande Valley. UTRGV is proud to be the Valley’s higher education institution.”
According to Third Way, “institutions faring well on the EMI go above and beyond to ensure that their students can finance their education sustainably and receive demonstrated return on investment from their college credential.”
Helping move the economic mobility needle and assisting with financial aid are UTRGV programs like Tuition Advantage, Luminary Scholars, the Vaqueros MD Early Assurance Program.
Also, the addition of numerous master’s and doctoral programs – Ph.D. in Materials Science an Engineering, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration – has expanded educational opportunities and has made it highly affordable for advanced study at UTRGV.
Through partnerships with key programs like TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) and GEAR UP, and the opening of three Collegiate High Schools in Edinburg, Harlingen and McAllen, UTRGV is increasing retention and graduation rates for financially challenged or first-generation students.
Details about Third Way’s methodology to generate the rankings can be found in the 2023 report.