The University of Texas at El Paso College Portrait
The University of Texas at El Paso500 West University Avenue El Paso, TX 79968
(915) 747-5000
The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso students live and study in one of the world’s largest binational metropolitan areas, taking advantage of cultural, social and academic opportunities unique to the U.S.-Mexico border region.
Founded in 1914 as a small school of mines and metallurgy with fewer than 30 students, The University of Texas at El Paso has become an internationally recognized research and doctoral university with more than 22,000 students and more than 94,000 alumni. Led by an acclaimed faculty, UTEP is a renowned Hispanic-serving institution that offers more than 160 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. The University is lauded annually by major magazines for its business, engineering and health sciences programs. Architecturally and geographically distinctive, UTEP is located in the Chihuahuan Desert. Framed by the Franklin Mountains in far West Texas, the University’s picturesque 420-acre campus, with its trademark Bhutanese structures, lends inspiration and tranquility to its students. The UTEP Miners have one of the country’s most competitive athletics programs. Miner athletes have earned top awards in almost every sport, winning 21 NCAA Division I national championships and several Olympic medals. UTEP is the only university in Texas to have ever won a Division I NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
Living in the UTEP Community
UTEP’s research programs give students the chance to pursue just about anything that strikes their interest, from investigating disease treatments in a state-of-the-art lab to hiking rugged mountain ranges to study seismic activity. But when it’s time to take a break from the books, the UTEP community offers Miners plenty of arts, music, sports and social activities.
UTEP’s scenic campus with its trademark Bhutanese architecture is home away from home for the University’s students, faculty and staff. UTEP is flourishing into an internationally recognized institution with a growing reputation for academic excellence and an aggressive research agenda that focuses on global issues such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes, water scarcity and climate change. The experiences gained by UTEP students in and outside of the classroom have produced successful alumni who are astronauts, biomedical researchers, Olympic medal winners, military leaders, CEOs of international businesses and NBA stars. Beyond the classroom, the campus buzzes with the excitement generated by hundreds of student organizations, athletic events, countless artistic programs and a $300 million construction agenda, including the building of a 130,000-square-foot College of Health Sciences/School of Nursing structure and a 150,000-square-foot Chemistry and Computer Science facility. Miner fans always find something to do or discover at UTEP. Enjoy a first-class UTEP Dinner Theatre performance or jam out to a live concert by celebrated musicians, such as Carrie Underwood, Santana or the Rolling Stones. Sports fans can watch a UTEP football game with more than 52,000 other roaring Miner Maniacs at the legendary Sun Bowl Stadium, or help fill nearly 12,000 seats in the Don Haskins Center during an exciting Miner basketball game. In addition to earning a high-quality education at an affordable price, UTEP students cultivate a strong connection to their University. That feeling stays alive in each alumnus who returns to the campus excited to learn about new programs and events.
The Big Picture: How many students were on campus in Fall 2010?
More Information
| Total Students | 22,106 | |
|---|---|---|
Undergraduate Snapshot
| Total Undergraduate Students | 18,160 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Women | 9,926 | 55% |
| Men | 8,234 | 45% |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||
| American Indian / Alaskan Native | 54 | <1% |
| Asian | 203 | 1% |
| African American / Black | 514 | 3% |
| Hispanic | 14,477 | 80% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 6 | <1% |
| White | 1,547 | 9% |
| Two or More Races | 27 | <1% |
| International | 1,168 | 6% |
| Race/Ethnicity Not Reported | 164 | 1% |
| Where do UTEP undergraduates call home? | |
|---|---|
| Texas | 89% |
| Other US States & Territories | 3% |
| Other Countries | 8% |
| Residency Unknown | <1% |
| How old are UTEP undergraduates? | |
| Average Age | 23 |
| Percent of Undergraduates Age 25 or Older | 28% |
New Student Applications (Fall 2010)
New Freshmen High School Background and Test Scores
Sticker Price: How much does it cost on average?
Typical Undergraduate Costs for 2010-11 without Financial Aid (Full-Time, In-State Students)
Total Typical Cost of Attendance: $15,163
Out-of-State & Other Costs
The cost to attend The University of Texas at El Paso varies based on the individual circumstances of students and may be reduced through grants and scholarships.
How much would I pay?
Financial Aid: How much help is there to pay?
Scholarships & Grants
- 54% of 2010-11 full-time undergraduates received need-based grants or scholarships; the average award for the year was $9,294. Scholarships and grants are financial aid that does not need to be repaid and is sometimes referred to as gift aid.
Annual Need-Based Loans
- 55% of 2010-11 full-time undergraduates received need-based work-study and/or loans (not including parent loans); the average loan for the year was $6,977. Loans need to be repaid. Typically, repayment starts once you are no longer enrolled full-time. Please refer to page 12 of the Funding Education Beyond High School guide on the US Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website for more information about Financial Need.
Percent of 2009-2010 Full-time Beginning Students Receiving Each Type of Financial Aid
NOTE: Students may receive aid from more than one source.
UTEP Classes & Instructors
| Classroom Environment | |
|---|---|
| Students per Faculty | 21 to 1 |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 30 students | 64% |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 50 students | 88% |
| Total Full-Time Instructional Faculty | 692 |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Female | 38% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Persons of Color | 38% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Have the Highest Academic Degree Offered in Their Field of Study | 78% |
Campus-based Housing
8% of new freshmen live in campus-based housing or residence halls.
3% of all undergraduates live on campus
More Information
Campus Safety
The University of Texas at El Paso Police Department is a proud member of our vibrant community and committed to the University’s mission of access and excellence serving our 21st century student demographic. Our goal and responsibility is to provide 24 hour police and emergency management services. The men and women of the UTEP Police Department would like to invite you to visit our web site at www.utep.edu/policeand are confident the information that is provided will be beneficial to you.
Campus Crime Statistics
More Information
Carnegie Classification of Institutional Characteristics
The Carnegie Classification's were created "to reference the great diversity of colleges and universities in the United States, and ... enable [people] to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions." For information on the Carnegie Classifications system, please visit their website: http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/
- Basic Type
- Research Universities (high research activity)
- Size and Setting
- Large four-year, primarily nonresidential
- Enrollment Profile
- High undergraduate
- Undergraduate Profile
- Medium full-time four-year, inclusive
- Undergraduate Instructional Program
- Balanced arts & sciences/professions, high graduate coexistence
- Graduate Instructional Program
- Doctoral, STEM dominant
NOTE: Institutional classifications based on the Carnegie 2005 edition.
Student Activities and Involvement at UTEP
Students who are actively involved in their own learning and development are more likely to be successful in college. Colleges and universities offer students a wide variety of opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to become engaged with new ideas, people, and experiences. Institutions measure the effectiveness of these opportunities in a variety of ways to better understand what types of activities and programs students find the most helpful.
Institutions participating in the VSA program measure student involvement on campus using one of four national surveys. Results from the one survey are reported for a common set of questions selected as part of VSA. Following are the selected results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The questions have been grouped together in categories that are known to contribute to student learning and development. The results reported below are based on the responses of seniors who participated in the survey.
Group Learning Experiences
- 96% percent of seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.
- 67% of seniors tutored or taught other students
- 20% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports
Active Learning Experiences
- 80% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class
- 20% of seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member
- 43% of seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience
- 53% of seniors participated in community service or volunteer work
- 6% of seniors participated in study abroad
- 96% of seniors made at least one class presentation last year
Institutional Commitment to Student Learning and Success
- 95% of seniors believe this institution provides support for student success
- 59% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent
- 59% of seniors reported that this institution provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities
- 94% of seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations
Student Interaction with Campus Faculty and Staff
- 60% of seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible
- 73% of seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic
- 88% of seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance
- 70% of seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class
Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas
- 64% of seniors reported that they often tried to understand someone else's point of view
- 86% of seniors reported their experience at this institution contributed to their understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
- 49% of seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity
Student Satisfaction
- 81% of seniors would attend this institution if they started over again
- 80% of seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent
- 84% of seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive
Evaluation of Experiences
Survey Administration Process
Survey Information
Majors and Degrees
| Degrees awarded at The University of Texas at El Paso in 2009-10 | |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 3,061 |
| Master's | 894 |
| Doctoral | 55 |
| Total | 4,010 |
More Information
| Areas of Study with the largest number of bachelor's degrees awarded in 2009-10 | |
|---|---|
| BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES | 17% |
| EDUCATION | 14% |
| HEALTH PROFESSIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS | 12% |
| ENGINEERING | 9% |
| MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES | 7% |
| Links to degree programs at The University of Texas at El Paso |
|---|
Bachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral |
Future Plans of 2009-10 Bachelor's Degree Recipients
Survey Administration Process
Student Success & Progress Rate
A 74% four-year success and progress rate means that 74% of students starting in Fall 2004 either graduated or are still enrolled at a higher education institution four years later.
Counts for the Fall 2004 entering class shown in the graph above.
- 2,333 First-Time, Full-Time Students
- 667 Full-Time Transfer Students
Success & Progress Rate Table
Retention of Freshman Class
First-time students in Fall 2009 that returned for their second year: 73%
Student Learning at The University of Texas at El Paso
All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.
Students who are actively involved in their own learning and development are more likely to be successful in college. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has consistently demonstrated a strong focus on student engagement and success. UTEP is profiled as a model institution in engaging students and promoting success by researchers from the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University. UTEP is one of twenty institutions featured in the book Student Success in College (Kuh et al., 2005), where descriptions of UTEP programs were provided as concrete examples for other institutions to learn from to promote student success on their own campuses. In this book, the researchers note that UTEP is “nationally recognized for its student-centric philosophy, effective use of active and collaborative learning techniques, and its innovative first-year student programs
Learning Assessment Examples
Pilot Project to Measure Core Learning Outcomes
Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.
- Results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment
The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication using a performance task and an analytic writing task. The scores from the tasks are reported separately below.
Test Administration Process
Test Information
Performance Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the performance task is well above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 990
Senior Score: 1120
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 888
Senior Score: 936
Analytic Writing Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is well above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1028
Senior Score: 1153
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 905
Senior Score: 908