ROI Rankings
Based on the Average Academic Costs of a Bachelor's Degree Compared to 5th and 10th year Wages
| Undergraduate enrollment** | Average time to bachelor's degree** | Wages/Academic Cost by UG Enrollment*** | Rankings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Years | 5th Yr | 10th Yr | 5th Yr | 10th Yr | ||
| 1. | The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley * | 26,434 | 4.7 | 961% | 1188% | 1 | 1 |
| 2. | Texas A&M University - San Antonio | 6,541 | 5.6 | 570% | 679% | 2 | 2 |
| 3. | Angelo State University | 8,963 | 4.1 | 371% | 502% | 3 | 3 |
| 4. | Midwestern State University | 4,598 | 4.8 | 359% | 477% | 4 | 4 |
| 5. | University of North Texas at Dallas | 2,983 | 5.2 | 354% | na | 5 | na |
| 6. | Texas A&M University - Texarkana | 1,717 | 4.7 | 350% | 467% | 6 | 5 |
| 7. | Texas Southern University | 6,830 | 5.3 | 322% | 465% | 7 | 6 |
| 8. | University of Houston - Downtown | 12,621 | 5.8 | 303% | 398% | 8 | 7 |
| 9. | The University of Texas at El Paso | 20,165 | 5.1 | 279% | 373% | 9 | 8 |
| 10. | Texas A&M University - Kingsville | 4,845 | 4.7 | 242% | 314% | 10 | 9 |
| 11. | The University of Texas of the Permian Basin | 4,288 | 5.2 | 235% | 310% | 11 | 10 |
| 12. | Texas State University | 33,834 | 4.6 | 219% | 305% | 12 | 11 |
| 13. | The University of Texas at Austin * | 41,309 | 3.9 | 177% | 287% | 18 | 12 |
| 14. | The University of Texas at Tyler | 6,960 | 4.7 | 208% | 281% | 13 | 13 |
| 15. | Sul Ross State University | 601 | 5.5 | 201% | 276% | 14 | 14 |
| 16. | The University of Texas at San Antonio | 28,590 | 4.6 | 200% | 270% | 15 | 15 |
| 17. | Stephen F. Austin State University | 9,772 | 4.2 | 187% | 244% | 16 | 16 |
| 18. | Texas A&M University | 54,483 | 4.0 | 157% | 241% | 23 | 17 |
| 19. | Tarleton State University | 11,880 | 4.7 | 181% | 235% | 17 | 18 |
| 20. | Texas A&M University - Central Texas | 1,694 | 5.5 | 176% | 230% | 20 | 19 |
| 21. | West Texas A&M University | 6,901 | 4.7 | 176% | 227% | 19 | 20 |
| 22. | Texas Tech University | 32,498 | 4.3 | 146% | 223% | 25 | 21 |
| 23. | Sam Houston State University * | 18,209 | 4.8 | 163% | 217% | 22 | 22 |
| 24. | University of Houston * | 37,282 | 4.8 | 144% | 208% | 26 | 23 |
| 25. | University of Houston - Victoria | 2,829 | 5.8 | 165% | 203% | 21 | 24 |
| 26. | Texas A&M University - Commerce | 7,083 | 4.9 | 156% | 202% | 24 | 25 |
| 27. | Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi | 7,648 | 4.6 | 144% | 192% | 27 | 26 |
| 28. | University of North Texas | 32,849 | 4.6 | 135% | 181% | 29 | 27 |
| 29. | Texas Woman's University | 9,687 | 5.0 | 142% | 180% | 28 | 28 |
| 30. | Texas A&M University at Galveston | 2,054 | 4.3 | 104% | 158% | 32 | 29 |
| 21. | University of Houston - Clear Lake | 6,352 | 5.9 | 122% | 152% | 30 | 30 |
| 32. | The University of Texas at Arlington | 27,668 | 5.1 | 103% | 143% | 33 | 31 |
| 33. | The University of Texas at Dallas | 21,311 | 4.3 | 95% | 136% | 34 | 32 |
| 34. | Lamar University | 8,155 | 5.0 | 106% | 136% | 31 | 33 |
* Excludes Medical School/Excludes Private Medical School
** Data from the Coordinating Board Almanac
*** Wages are from the Texas Crews website, include 5th, and 10th year wages for bachelor degree holders
Average Total Academic Cost (TAC)
Paid by Undergraduate Students for a Degree (TAC Minus Scholarships and Grants)
| University | Annual TAC | TAC per Degree | Years to Degree | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | UTRGV | 1,122.69 | 5,276.65 | 4.7 | 1 |
| 2. | TAM San Antonio | 1,626.81 | 9,110.16 | 5.6 | 2 |
| 3. | TAM Texarkana | 2,447.29 | 11,502.25 | 4.7 | 3 |
| 4. | Angelo State | 3,081.48 | 12,634.05 | 4.1 | 4 |
| 5. | Texas Southern | 2,573.25 | 13,640.88 | 5.3 | 5 |
| 6. | Midwestern St. | 3,023.90 | 14,514.71 | 4.8 | 6 |
| 7. | UNT North Dallas | 2,914.29 | 15,124.28 | 5.2 | 7 |
| 8. | UT El Paso | 3,278.82 | 16,721.99 | 5.1 | 8 |
| 9. | UH Downtown | 3,136.91 | 18,194.08 | 5.8 | 9 |
| 10. | Sul Ross | 3,587.00 | 19,728.53 | 5.5 | 10 |
| 11. | TAM Kingsville | 4,532.15 | 21,301.09 | 4.7 | 11 |
| 12. | UT Permian Basin | 4,114.95 | 21,397.92 | 5.2 | 12 |
| 13. | Texas State | 5,134.72 | 23,619.70 | 4.6 | 13 |
| 14. | UT Tyler | 5,378.51 | 25,278.98 | 4.7 | 14 |
| 15. | UT San Antonio | 6,785.79 | 26,234.45 | 4.6 | 15 |
| 16. | Stephen F. Austin | 6,270.51 | 26,336.16 | 4.2 | 16 |
| 17. | Tarleton State | 5,741.15 | 26,983.42 | 4.7 | 17 |
| 18. | West Texas A&M | 5,741.44 | 26,984.77 | 4.7 | 18 |
| 19. | TAM Central Texas | 4,945.20 | 27,198.60 | 5.5 | 19 |
| 20. | TAM Commerce | 6,229.30 | 30,532.56 | 4.9 | 20 |
| 21. | Sam Houston State | 6,597.47 | 31,667.85 | 4.8 | 21 |
| 22. | UH Victoria | 5,554.97 | 32,218.81 | 5.8 | 22 |
| 23. | UT Austin | 8,959.49 | 34,942.01 | 3.9 | 23 |
| 24. | TAM Corpus Christi | 7,675.67 | 35,308.09 | 4.6 | 24 |
| 25. | Texas Women's | 7,472.78 | 37,363.92 | 5 | 25 |
| 26. | Texas Tech | 8,902.30 | 38,279.88 | 4.3 | 26 |
| 27. | North Texas | 8,420.81 | 38,735.74 | 4.6 | 27 |
| 28. | U. of Houston | 8,297.91 | 39,829.96 | 4.8 | 28 |
| 29. | Texas A&M | 10,219.78 | 40,879.13 | 4 | 29 |
| 30. | UH Clear Lake | 7,578.97 | 44,715.94 | 5.9 | 30 |
| 21. | TAM Galveston | 11,377.96 | 48,925.23 | 4.3 | 31 |
| 32. | Lamar University | 9,789.85 | 48,947.77 | 5 | 32 |
| 33. | UT Arlington | 11,391.92 | 58,095.21 | 5.1 | 33 |
| 34. | UT Dallas | 14,265.15 | 61,340.13 | 4.3 | 34 |
Data Sources: THECB and Institutional AFRs
UTRGV's Progress over the Last Eight Years
2015-16 to 2023-24
| Legacy Institutions | UTRGV | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| UTB | UTPA | 2023-24 | |
| Enrollment | 8,009 | 21,015 | 31,931 |
| 1st Yr. Retention Rate | 71.1% | 76.1% | 79%* |
| Four-Year Graduation Rate | 12.4% | 20.6% | 34.2% |
| Six-Year Graduation Rate | 27.6% | 44.8% | 49.2% |
| Undergraduate Time to Degree | 5.8 | 5.1 | 4.7 |
| Research Expenditures | $5,800,000 | $11,300,000 | $82,440.000 |
| External Fundraising | $1,700,000** | $4,400,000** | $37,735,577*** |
| Doctoral/Professional Programs | EdD |
EdD PhD Business PhD Rehabilitation Services MS Physician Assistant MS Occupational Therapy |
All degrees at legacies MD DPM (Podiatry) PhD Clinical Psychology PhD Human Genetics PhD Physics PhD Engineering DOT (Occupational Therapy) DNP (Nursing Practice) |
* Note that by 2020 retention rates reached 80% but fell dramatically because of the pandemic
**=2014 and ***=2022 because those years reflect more typical fund-raising patterns that 2015 and 2023.
The University of Texas System Smart book
Lowest Average Net Academic Cost Per Year
For full-time resident undergraduate students
| 1. | UTRGV | $954 |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | UTEP | $3,088 |
| 3. | UT Permian Basin | $3,744 |
| 4. | UT Tyler | $4,681 |
| 5. | Stephen F. Austin | $6,330 |
| 6. | UTSA | $6,586 |
| 7. | UT Austin | $6,741 |
| 8. | UT Arlington | $6,888 |
| 9. | UT Dallas | $11,719 |
Percentage of Students Who Receive Need-Based Aid
(Average Percentage Discount Received)
For full-time resident undergraduate students
| 1. | UTRGV | 90% (100%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | UTEP | 72.4% (96.1%) |
| 3. | UT Tyler | 65.2% (84%) |
| 4. | UT Permian Basin | 64.9% (95.3%) |
| 5. | UTSA | 57.3% (77.1%) |
| 6. | UT Arlington | 54.2% (76.1%) |
| 7. | Stephen F. Austin | 49.3% (81.7%) |
| 8. | UT Austin | 42.3% (100%) |
| 9. | UT Dallas | 41% (69.8%) |
Highest First-Year Retention Rates
2022 First-Time, Full-Time, Degree-Seeking Cohort
| 1. | UT Austin | 96% |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | UT Dallas | 88% |
| 3. | UTRGV | 79% |
| 4. | UTSA | 79% |
| 5. | UTEP | 77% |
| 6. | UT Tyler | 73% |
| 7. | UT Arlington | 72% |
| 8. | Stephen F. Austin | 71% |
| 9. | UT Permian Basin | 60% |
Highest 4-Year Graduation Rates
2019 First-Time, Full-Time, Degree-Seeking Fall Cohort
| 1. | UT Austin | 74% |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | UT Dallas | 63% |
| 3. | Stephen F. Austin | 41% |
| 4. | UT Tyler | 38% |
| 5. | UTRGV | 34% |
| 6. | UTSA | 32% |
| 7. | UT Arlington | 31% |
| 8. | UT Permian Basin | 27% |
| 9. | UTEP | 23% |