Additionally, UTEP noted enrollment increases among graduate and doctoral students, as well as undergraduates in the colleges of Nursing, Health Sciences, the Miguel A. Loya College of Engineering and the Woody L. Hunt College of Business.<\/p>\n
El Paso Community College also experienced an increase in student admission this fall. The institution reported a fall 2026 enrollment of 26,745 students, which is a 4.4% increase over last year.<\/p>\n
LEARN MORE: El Paso\u2019s early college experiment turns 20 \u2014 and dual credit is still growing<\/a><\/p>\n The college stated that 43.2% of those registered, or 11,547, were high school students enrolled in dual credit or early college high school programs. This continues an upward trend since fall 2023 when 36.3% of enrollment was high school students taking dual credit courses.<\/p>\n EPCC\u2019s peak enrollment was 40,798 students in 2011.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The official number of students is made at the end of Census Day, which was Sept. 9 for UTEP and EPCC. Both institutions started their fall semesters Aug. 24.<\/p>\n Texas Tech Health El Paso\u2019s schools of Nursing, Medicine, Dental Medicine and Biomedical Sciences have staggered fall start dates through early September. The university usually reports its fall enrollment in October.<\/p>\n El Paso County Breaks Ground on Medical Examiner\u2019s Office<\/p>\n El Paso County officials broke ground Tuesday at the site of the future Office of the Medical Examiner in far East El Paso.<\/p>\n The new facility will be built at 3901 State Jail Road and funded with about $27 million in general obligation bonds approved by voters in 2024.<\/p>\n The funding included land acquisition, construction and equipping a new 26,000-square-foot facility. The new campus will also have administrative offices.<\/p>\n The Medical Examiner\u2019s Office investigates sudden, unexpected and suspicious deaths and determines how and why a person died. Services include forensic scene investigation, forensic pathology, morgue services, forensic imaging, forensic odontology, forensic anthropology and forensic toxicology.<\/p>\n The medical examiner has the authority to send investigators to examine the death scene and collect evidence, order toxicology, laboratory and microscopic testing, work with police and other investigative agencies, sign death certificates and authorize cremations and help identify unknown bodies.<\/p>\n Design for the new facility was completed in June with construction set to begin this fall with a tentative completion of 2028.<\/p>\n The current office is located at 4505 Alberta Ave. in Central El Paso.<\/p>\n City Looks to Shift $2.5 Million From First-time Homebuyers to Rental Housing<\/p>\n The city\u2019s Department of Community and Human Development is looking to shift $2.5 million from its first-time homebuyers program to instead expand affordable housing by developing rental housing and is seeking public feedback.<\/p>\n The amendment would be made to the department\u2019s 2019-2023 annual action plans under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s, or HUD, HOME Investment Partnerships Program.<\/p>\n The change will not reduce the overall program funding, but first-time homebuyers would not have access to the program that offers down payment and closing cost assistance. It would allow the city to help develop affordable rental housing identified through the city\u2019s Community Needs Assessment and Strategic Economic Mobility efforts.<\/p>\n The amendment was presented to the City Council on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Written comments on the proposed amendments may be submitted to DCHDFacilities@elpasotexas.gov<\/a> through 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/CountyMedicalExaminer.jpeg\")
El Paso County officials break ground for the Office of the Medical Examiner on the far Eastside, Sept. 15, 2026. (Courtesy El Paso County)<\/p>\n