In late August, Forbes unveiled to the nation the Top 500 universities in the United States.
Out of the nearly 80 Universities in Texas, UTEP was only one out of 15 to make the list, with an overall ranking of 280.
To put UTEP’s ranking into a wider perspective, the U.S. Department of Education estimates that there are nearly 4,000 degree granting institutions in the nation alone.
The quantity of schools in the nation spurs the creation of various lists ranking universities across America, highlighting the importance of credible research.
“One of the things that we’re very careful about at UTEP, is what I call not chasing the wrong rabbit,” said UTEP President Heather Wilson,. “We always check very carefully if a list comes out, is this measuring the right thing?”
Some information can be very volatile depending on what’s measured.
So, to avoid falling into said trap, Forbes’ research was based on six main components. Those being debt, graduation rate, their own American Leaders list, return on investment, retention rate and academic success.
“Forbes has a methodology that we think is worth being proud of,” said Wilson.
One notable component in which Forbes disqualified from its ranking equation was exclusivity. A factor which has yielded institutions with available education like UTEP from increasing its acumen.
“US News & World Report up until 2019 used to include a big part of its rankings on how many students it refused to serve. So, in other words, they reward exclusivity,” said Wilson. “I don’t know about you, but if I go to a restaurant, and they refuse to serve me, I don’t give them five stars on yelp, the excellence of a university should be measured by the excellence of what they do, not what they refuse to do.”
The home of the Miners is renowned for its near 100% acceptance rate, with the promise of offering every student a quality education, no matter their class rank, or whether they need to work.
“I think that if more universities were like UTEP, higher education would have a better reputation,” said Wilson.
Yet, when syndicates or individuals see the unanimous percentage, it leads to an uneducated inference over the university having limits that aren’t even accurate.
“We are the only top tier research university in America that has kept its open access mission,” said Wilson. “If a university cares about things like four and six year graduation rates, well we can look at who we shouldn’t admit in the first place. The problem is that more than half of those students will actually be successful in college. The universities that are meeting the needs of their community are the ones who are meeting students where they are and helping them to develop to the best of their potential.”
Forbes’s focus was on valuable education. And when digging further, UTEP’s promise of accessibility and quality flows into the financials.
Overall, UTEP ranked No. 1 in Texas for students who graduate with the least debt, and 15th in the nation.
“It’s really a measure of the commitment of the University of Texas regions for keeping out of pocket costs low, for students and their families,” said Wilson. “I think that matters a lot; it doesn’t matter if you can offer a great education when no one can afford it.”
The list highlights UTEP’s promise to accessible education, because it’s a representation that both quality, and affordable paths to a degree is possible.
“It’s not just that it’s affordable, but that it’s valuable. It has to be access to excellent education with very high standards that transform people’s lives, said Wilson. “UTEP is really focused on excellent education.”
It’s no surprise to alumni and current students of the agency that’s needed to leave UTEP with a degree.
Forbes’ list is just a further example that the home of the Miners is no place to doubt.
Sebastian Perez-Navarro is a staff reporter for The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected]
