Public · University

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Edinburg, Texas · Midsize city

#4 best value in Texas
94.2%
Admit rate
$4,831
Avg net price
51%
Graduation rate
$49,620
Median earnings

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Edinburg, Texas (midsize city setting), enrolling 28,666 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 28,666 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 94% admitNCAA Division I without football

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's admitted students.

Admit rate
94.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
880–1090
Avg GPA (est.)
2.84

Enter a test score to see where you land against The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Edinburg, Texas

Edinburg is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. In 1908, John Closner, William Briggs, Argyle McAllen, Plutarco de la Viña, and Dennis B. Chapin began to develop a new community at this site. The town square was located at the current crossroads of U.S. Highway 281 and State Highway 107. Edinburg is home to the Museum of South Texas History, formerly the Hidalgo County Historical Museum. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
8 miles to McAllen, TX
To the ocean
45 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to McAllen Miller (MFE)

How The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley compares

Selectivity94.2%

More selective than 15% · #61 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average985

Higher than 7%

Graduation rate51%

Higher than 42% · #38 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention81%

Higher than 65%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,620

Higher than 38% · #66 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$4,831

Cheaper than 99% · #4 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$12,950

Lower than 94%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 10%

Undergraduate enrollment28,666

Larger than 97%

Percentiles compare The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Texas.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

33,873students
  • Undergraduate28,66685%
  • Graduate5,20715%

Undergraduates by gender

28,666undergrads
  • Women16,50958%
  • Men12,15742%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White2.0%
  • Black0.6%
  • Hispanic93%
  • Asian1.1%
  • Other or multiracial3.1%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
28,666
Graduate enrollment
5,207
Student–faculty ratio
20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
65%
First-generation students
53%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$21,058
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$81,369
Endowment
$149,460,403

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 5,634 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas99%
  • International1.1%

Most first-years stay in state — The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley draws overwhelmingly from Texas.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
94.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
880–1090
SAT average
985
SAT reading
460–560
SAT math
420–530
ACT composite
15–21
Average GPA (estimated)
2.84

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,987
Out-of-state tuition
$19,827
Room & board
$9,728
Books & supplies
$1,250
Total cost of attendance
$16,830
Average net price
$4,831

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
51%
Graduated on time (4 years)
31%
First-year retention
81%
Transferred to another college
18%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,812
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,620
Median debt at graduation
$12,950
Students with federal loans
26%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
46%

About 19% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
31%
Low-income (Pell)
50%
First-generation
50%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,106
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
4%
Housing charge (year)
$4,187
Meal plan (year)
$3,502
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
367 (175 men · 192 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)161
Soccer57
Baseball40
Basketball33
Golf21
Tennis21
Swimming and Diving (combined)18
Volleyball16

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
16
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 11 campuses (33,881 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

7.3reported offenses a year
5.3 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.7
Fondling
1.7
Burglary
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Aggravated assault
1.0

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$3,785
$30–48k
$3,877
$48–75k
$5,665
$75–110k
$7,972
$110k+
$13,782

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$25,904

$5,665/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

52%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,788
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 52% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,788. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 4,596 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$49,620
Typical debt at graduation
$12,950
Debt vs. one year's pay
26%
Out-earn a HS grad
56%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$47,844
Men
$52,297

Men out-earn women by $4,453 (9%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
98°F
Winter low
49°F
Annual rain
24.1″
Annual snow
0.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°80°110°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Edinburg, TX US station (1.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley side by side →

Colleges near The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.