The skyrocketing cost of a college education has led many to question whether projected future earnings are still worth the time and money required to get a degree. Fortunately for South Texas residents, a recent report finds that the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley gives one of the highest returns on investment in the country.
Analysis published by Washington Monthly magazine ranks UTRGV near the top in most categories that measure the value of attending the university. Magazine researchers evaluated more than 1,500 public, private, nonprofit and for-profit four-year universities nationwide in several categories including affordability and the benefits to students and graduates, as well as benefits to the community with regard to graduates’ contribution to their community and national service.
Our university ranked second among southern public universities with regard to offering the “best bang for the buck,” enabling students of modest means to improve their economic status. It ranked tops among Texas public schools — and 12th nationally — in terms of social mobility, or economic improvement after acquiring the degree.
To be sure, the rankings reflect the high potential for improvement among UTRGV students. Ninety percent of the university’s student body is Hispanic and most rank low on family income scales. The university reports that more than half of its students qualify for enough need-based assistance including Pell grants, the state-funded TEXAS grants and the UT System’s own Tuition Advantage program that they pay no tuition at all.
This makes UTRGV one of the most affordable universities in the country.
A separate report by the Third Way public policy think tank listed the university among the top five in the country with regard to graduates’ economic mobility, noting the varied baccalaureate and post-graduate degrees and the jobs that former students were securing. University President Guy Bailey, in a separate Washington Monthly article, credited the university’s advising services and on-campus job placement with helping students launch successful careers.
Most importantly, UTRGV students are doing their part. South Texas once was known for high dropout rates and low achievement; today more than 80% of first-year students return for their second year.
That’s where the value of such rankings becomes clear. A university, like any educational institution, can only provide preparation. It remains up to the students to achieve the success that reflects upon their school.
The attention to South Texas education is recent. In fact, the increased attention that began a decade ago initially was met with some skepticism. The region had long been largely ignored compared to other universities across the country, and had been the subject of a lawsuit that alleged the lack of investment in this high-poverty, high-minority region was discriminatory.
Fortunately, the change appears to have been made in earnest, and brought new opportunities that has helped many Valley residents improve their futures, and improve South Texas as well.
It’s good to see that the investment is paying off.
