EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — UTEP says it’s been ranked as the second most affordable college in the state of Texas, according to new 2026 rankings by Research.com.
The platform also ranked UTEP as the fifth-best college in Texas in terms of overall quality of education.
“UTEP continues to be recognized for its great value,” said President Heather Wilson. “Increasingly, we are also being recognized for the excellence of the education we provide. UTEP is one of the best investments students and their families can make.”
UTEP says seven percent of undergraduate students received grants or scholarships, not loans, in the last five years. So far, the University says it’s disbursed some $162 million in grants and scholarships to undergraduate students in 2025-2026.
“In the 2025-2026 school year, the average first-year student who qualified for grants and scholarships received $10,317, and the average out-of-pocket cost of tuition and fees, after aid, was around $735 per year for those students,” UTEP said.
UTEP also says its six-year graduation rates are now at the Texas average, having increased by 24 percent over the past 21 years, and is tied for fourth in Texas for Fulbright Scholarship recipients, behind only Baylor, UT Austin, and Rice University.
Forbes has also ranked UTEP among the top 15 colleges in the nation for launching careers, the University said.
UTEP says the 2026 rankings by Research.com were compiled through an extensive analysis of university data points from multiple sources, including Peterson’s Data, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and the U.S. Department of Education’s College ScoreCard.
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