UTRGV ranks among Top 100 National Universities
Robert Benavidez Jr./The Rider
Brigitte Ortiz | THE RIDER
For the first time, UTRGV has made the Washington Monthly Top 100 National Universities list, ranking No. 86 in the United States, and third in Texas, for its contributions to social mobility, research and public service.
The university also ranked first in Texas for net price of attendance after financial aid, performance of Pell Grant-eligible students and first-generation students, and second in social mobility.
Since 2005, Washington Monthly, a nonprofit magazine, has ranked colleges based on what they have done for the country, according to its website.
UTRGV President Guy Bailey said the publication looks at student performance and success.
“Our retention rates this year are 81%, which are very good,” Bailey said. “So we have good student success. … Most people don’t expect Pell Grant students to do as well but we do. We think our Pell Grant students are just as good as any other students and their performance shows that. It’s really students’ performance more than anything.”
He said UTRGV is offering a high-quality education at the best price possible, and he is proudest of ranking sixth in the United States in net price of attendance after financial aid.
“And there were four schools ahead of us who are Ivy League schools or very well be private schools,” Bailey said. “Stanford, Harvard, Duke, Princeton, and then The City College of New York, which is funded by the city, and so what that really says, and the takeaway from people should be this: You’re getting a very high quality education at a very reasonable price. If we can do that, we perform a great service to the [Rio Grande] Valley.”
Asked what plans the university has for the campus community in the coming semester, he replied, “We’re going to be announcing another relief package for the spring. Again, we think these are very tough times, financially, for people and we’ve got a relief package for the spring that we think will be very helpful. In the fall, we want to continue on providing high-quality instruction and advising for our students. It’s just very important that we pay attention to our student success and that’s what we do more than anything.”
Patrick Gonzales, associate vice president for University Marketing and Communications, said they are excited about being ranked because this is the first time that UTRGV has been in the Top 100 National List.
“In this particular ranking, in the last four years, we didn’t qualify for the national universities’ list because we didn’t offer enough Ph.D. programs,” Gonzales said. “There’s criteria and so, this year was exciting not only because we made it to the national universities list, but we also made it to the top 100.”
He said he is proud of the ranking because it is a team effort. UTRGV trailed Texas A&M University- College Station (12) and the University of Texas at Austin (77).
“UTRGV started five years ago,” Gonzales said. “And so, to know that within five years we already ranked among some of the most prestigious schools in the country and the state is really a testament to the hard work of the students, the faculty and staff, and just proof that when you come together with one common goal that you can be successful.”
He said UTRGV is doing a great job of enrolling students, getting them through the university to graduate and placing them in a career.
“You know, this is one of the reasons people go to a university or [do] higher ed, is to get a degree to make a better life for themselves,” Gonzales said. “And UTRGV is successfully doing that for thousands of students, and these rankings are proof that we are doing a great job of that.”
He said UTRGV has a lot of momentum despite the pandemic.
“We have record enrollment growth, we’re starting to be ranked nationally in different publications and so the future is just very bright for UTRGV, and we just want to keep the momentum going,” Gonzales said. “We want to stay true to our students, we want to provide quality education at an affordable price and graduate as many students as we can so they can get good jobs and contribute to the society.”
