A new college ratings system that highlights the economic impact of institutions, as well as the return of investment they provide students, recently ranked UTRGV as the seventh Best Public University in the nation.

The inaugural ratings come from Degree Choices, a team of education researchers committed to establishing honest and transparent value assessments for institutions of higher education, to help students who question whether earning a degree is worth the cost.

UTRGV is the only Texas school ranked in the Degree Choices Top 10, sandwiched by Georgia Tech (fifth), Michigan (sixth), California-Irvine (eighth) and Washington (ninth).

Top Value University

UTRGV also ranked high in several other categories:

• No. 2 in Lowest Net Cost of Attendance Among Public National Universities (first in Texas).
• No. 2 in Most Affordable Public National Universities (first in Texas).
• No. 4 in Best National Universities with Lowest Student Debt (first in Texas).

UTRGV President Guy Bailey said the new rankings are important because they let the rest of the country know that UTRGV is truly one of the top value universities in the United States.

“It is encouraging to see more and more college rankings that focus on the value universities provide students, instead of focusing solely on prestige, tradition and other non-economic factors,” Bailey said. “More students and their families want a high-quality education at an affordable price, and that is exactly what we’re providing at UTRGV.”

Degree Choices, on its website, said it introduced the new college ratings system because “unprecedented tuition increases have made higher education unaffordable for many, leading students to question whether earning a degree is worth the cost.”

As part of its ratings methodology, Degree Choices analyzed 2,203 four-year colleges and universities using data from two U.S. Department of Education programs: the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and College Scorecard. The ranking system Degree Choices is “focused entirely on median economic output, or which schools and programs offer students a better chance of higher economic success.”