UTEP eyes record enrollment, celebrates historic fundraising gains during annual address

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The University of Texas at El Paso President Heather Wilson held the annual state of the university address Friday. She highlighted UTEP's progress in enrollment, financial aid, student success and funding.

Student Enrollment

She noted the campus expects record-high enrollment for the upcoming fall semester.

UTEP's previous enrollment record stood at 26,297 students, Wilson said. Final numbers will be released Sept. 9.

Wilson also noted that if UTEP beats its previous record, it would also mark the fifth year of record first-time college students at the university.

Tuition

President Wilson said UTEP offers free tuition for any Texas family who has an income of less than $100,000 a year.

Additionally, she said 78% of UTEP students have a scholarship or grant. On average, those students spent $670 for a year of tuition and fees, Wilson said.

"Most of them are spending more for their cell phone than they are for a fantastic college education," Wilson said. "I think that factor is one of the reasons we're seeing an increase in enrollment here at UTEP because students look at this and say, you know something? I can do this."

Student Success

During the address, Wilson said UTEP students have been gaining national attention:

• The Sun City Rocket Team won first place in a state competition
• The UTEP Dance Team won first place in its category at the National Dance Alliance College Nationals
• The UTEP volleyball team won its first-ever Conference USA regular season championship

For fiscal year 2025, UTEP set an institutional record for national research expenditures at $162.3 million, Wilson said.

Some funding came from NASA, the National Science Foundation, Department of War and other government agencies, UTEP said.

Fundraising and Research Expenditures

Wilson announced the annual total for overall giving in fiscal year 2026 is $67.5 million, marking a record for UTEP. She said it's the first time the university's annual fundraising surpassed $60 million.

The fundraising also included the largest gift in UTEP history: $30 million to name the Miguel A. Loya College of Engineering.

For fiscal year 2025, UTEP set an institutional record for national research expenditures at $162.3 million, Wilson said.

Some funding came from NASA, the National Science Foundation, Department of War and other government agencies, UTEP said.