Consumer Information
The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 requires higher education institutions to disclose information and reports on various aspects of the institution's policies, procedures, operations, and costs. In accordance with this requirement, this webpage provides information about The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) on a variety of topics that may be helpful to prospective students, their families, high school counselors, and coaches, as well as prospective employees, current students, and current employees.
Mission
To transform the Rio Grande Valley, the Americas, and the world through an innovative and accessible educational environment that promotes student success, research, creative works, health and well-being, community engagement, sustainable development, and commercialization of university discoveries.
Contact Information
If you have any questions we encourage you to contact us. You may call us at 956-882-4026 or email us at [email protected].
Mission
The Financial Aid Office is committed to helping students and families pursue their educational goals by removing financial barriers that would otherwise discourage or prohibit attendance by qualified students who lack adequate resources. The Financial Aid Office administers financial aid programs in compliance with the federal, state, and institutional regulations and guidelines. By providing high-quality customer service in a professional, caring, and equitable manner, The Financial Aid Office strives to enhance recruitment and retention efforts to attract promising undergraduates and graduates to the University.
The Financial Aid Office subscribes to the Student Financial Aid Code of Conduct and the NASFAA Statement of Ethical Principals. View Student Financial Aid Code of Conduct or NASFAA Statement of Ethical Principals.
Most students at UTRGV receive some form of financial aid to help offset the cost of their education. Financial aid usually consists of scholarships, grants, loans, work-study, and other institutional aid programs. Since financial assistance is an integral part of the admissions process, it is essential students are familiar with the application process and know what aid is available. For more information on financial aid, you may visit our website at utrgv.edu/finaid.
Types of Aid
Financial aid may be available to you in many different forms depending on your family's income and your academic and extracurricular accomplishments to date.
- Scholarships– Scholarships are funds that do not require repayment and are awarded based on merit, need, and achievement in academics, athletics, the arts, or other scholarly areas.
- Grants– Grants do not require repayment and are awarded based on financial need.
- Loans– Loans are available at the state and federal levels, and repayment typically begins six months after you've graduated or dropped to less than half-time status. There are also parent loan programs.
- Work-Study– These programs and campus employment will enable you to earn money that can offset educational costs.
There are other forms of financial assistance, including institutional aid programs, tuition funding for military veterans and their families, and waiver programs from the state of Texas that allow certain out-of-state or nonresident students to pay in-state tuition.
- Tuition & Fees – Tuition and fees component includes the average cost of tuition and fees for a typical undergraduate student based on enrolling for 12 hours per semester for the fall and spring semester; or the average cost of tuition and fees for a typical graduate student based on enrolling for 9 hours per semester for the fall and spring semester. The actual costs that a student incurs will vary depending on the student's degree program and whether there are additional fees.
- Books & Supplies– Books and supplies component consist of the average cost of books and supplies for a typical full-time student for an entire academic year.
- Room & board– Room and board component contains a reasonable estimate of what it would cost to live in the Rio Grande Valley while attending school and is based on average residence hall rates and the largest meal plan available for students living on campus. Actual costs may vary by individual choices related to location and circumstances.
- Transportation– The transportation allowance includes the cost of travel between the student's residence and the institution and the travel necessary to complete a course of study. Costs may vary based on the student's permanent residence or the student's place of residence while in school.
- Miscellaneous personal expenses - This allowance for miscellaneous personal expenditures includes clothing, laundry and cleaning, personal hygiene, and grooming supplies.
Please note: The amounts below for books & supplies, room & board, transportation, and miscellaneous personal expenses are averages and will vary widely depending on the circumstances and needs of each student (e.g., place of residence, miles driven throughout the academic year, personal expenses, eating in a campus residence hall or cooking for oneself, etc.).
For more information on the cost of attendance, click on the link below https://www.utrgv.edu/ucentral/paying-for-college/cost-of-attendance/index.htm
To receive federal, state, and institutional financial aid, students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). For more information on our SAP policy, you may visit our webpage at utrgv.edu/sap.
When federal Title IV grants or loan assistance is disbursed, and the recipient withdraws, drops out, fails all classes, or takes a leave of absence, the law requires UTRGV to calculate the amount that must be returned by the school and/or the student to Title IV programs.
The Title IV programs covered by this law are:
- Federal Pell Grant
- Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
- Direct Loans
- Direct PLUS Loans
Even though Federal Work-Study is a Title IV program, it is exempt from the Return of Title IV calculation. The student is able to keep all Federal Work-Study earnings up to the time of withdrawal but is ineligible to work after the withdrawal date.
Please review the Return of Federal Financial Aid Fund policy https://www.utrgv.edu/ucentral/paying-for-college/financial-aid/withdrawing-and-return-of-funds/index.htm
Student loans can be an excellent resource for you and your family as you pay for your UTRGV education. Federal loans have closely regulated, low-interest rates; loans from states or private lenders have varying rates and terms. Some loans may be forgiven or canceled under some circumstances. However, most loans will have to be repaid, by you, after you leave UTRGV. For more information on student loans, please visit our webpage by clicking here.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records whereby parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student's education records and the right to request that a school correct records, and that schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record.
FERPA - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. §1232g, and the Texas Public Information Act, Texas Government Code §552.001 et seq., are respectively a federal and a state law that provides for the review and disclosure of student educational records.
This law prohibits The Student Service Centers (in person or over the phone) at UTRGV from releasing any specific student education information without the student's written permission. Parents, guardians, spouses, etc., cannot have access to the student's education records, including account information, unless the student has granted authorization. To grant authorization, complete the Consent to Release Student Information form.
Directory Information
At its discretion, the University may release directory information which includes:
- Name, Address, Telephone Number
- Date and Place of Birth
- Major Field of Study
- Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
- Dates of Attendance
- Most recent previous educational institution attended
- Classification
- Degrees, Honors, and Awards Received
- Date of Graduation
- Physical Factors (height and weight) of athletes
- Photographs
- University Email Address
Students may have any or all directory information withheld by notifying the University in writing. Request for nondisclosure will be honored by the University until such time that the student grants permission, in writing, to release the information. A Directory Information Release Form is available online.
You may also visit the FERPA webpage at the link below https://www.utrgv.edu/ucentral/registration/student-confidentiality-ferpa/index.htm
The Jeanne Clery Act, a consumer protection law passed in 1990, requires all colleges and universities who receive federal funding to share information about crime on campus and their efforts to improve campus safety and inform the public of crime in or around campus. This information is made publicly accessible through the University's annual security report.
Annual Security and Fire Safety 2020 Report
Annual Security and Fire Safety 2021 Report
Annual Security and Fire Safety 2022 Report
Rapid and timely communication to the university community during emergencies is critical. The UTRGV Emergency Alert System (E.A.S.) provides mass, urgent and timely communication using multiple methods to notify students, faculty, and staff promptly of an active major campus emergency or high-risk incident through:
- Emails
- Text messages
- Voice messages
- University-owned personal computer alerts
- University Facebook page
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is committed to maintaining a learning and working environment that is free from discrimination based on sex in accordance with Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits sex discrimination in employment; the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE Act), Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and Clery Act.
The Office of Strategic Analysis and Institutional Reporting reports retention, graduation, and placements rates to federal and state agencies for the University. Below are links to these rates as reported to respective agencies.
As part of The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, information on annual participation rates and financing of men's and women's sports in intercollegiate athletic programs is available, by request, to students and the general public. For more information, you can go to https://ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/