UTEP Ranks Top For Hispanics

EL PASO, Texas – Rankings at UTEP show the university’s commitment to the El Paso region.

Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine has published its annual Top 100 Institutions for Hispanics rankings and once again, The University of Texas at El Paso is among the top universities in the nation for Hispanics.

Uniquely positioned in the heart of the U.S.-Mexico border, UTEP ranks among the top UT System academic institutions in research spending-more than $46 million a year and is the only doctoral research university in the nation with a student body that is a majority Mexican American.

Based on data gathered by the National Center for Education Statistics, the magazine ranks UTEP among the top three universities in awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics-1,839 in 2007.

UTEP also ranks among the top five universities in enrolling Hispanics: Nearly 14,500, or approximately 73 percent of its student body, in 2007.

UTEP President Diana Natalicio says that these rankings tell an important story about the university’s mission.

“The mission of a public regional university like UTEP is to provide educational opportunities for the people of its region,” she explains.

As one of the nation’s leaders in educating Hispanic students, UTEP is illustrating its dedication to the population of the Paso del Norte region.

The type of degrees awarded by UTEP is another important indication of the university’s service to the region.

Hispanic Outlook ranks UTEP among the top five universities in the nation in awarding degrees to Hispanics in critical fields, including biological sciences, engineering, health sciences, mathematics and interdisciplinary studies. The university also ranks high in business and marketing, communication and foreign languages.

Additionally, UTEP is among the top six universities in the nation in awarding master’s degrees to Hispanics.

“We are awarding degrees to the people of our region in very high-demand professions,” said Natalicio. “That is a huge and growing contribution to the lives of our graduates and their families and to the workforce needs of this region and beyond.”

UTEP is a major economic force in the Paso del Norte region, contributing $343 million to the personal income of local residents and doing nearly $375 million in local business annually.