The University of Houston-Victoria recently was ranked 34th in a Washington Monthly regional list of Best Bang for the Buck Colleges, which places emphasis on each institution’s economic improvement of students, research and service.
The publication included UHV in its 2018 list of Best Bang for the Buck Southern Colleges, which consists of 50 institutions from states that include Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Missouri. The rankings were determined after evaluating 1,488 colleges and universities in five regions of the U.S. using factors that include the number of Pell grants awarded to students, graduation rates, tuition, service involvement, research and the social mobility of graduates.
“Today’s higher education students face an economic climate that can make social mobility difficult,” said David Cockrum, UHV interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “This ranking shows that UHV offers its students a clear path toward upward mobility and a more secure future.”
In addition to the overall ranking, each university was ranked on individual factors that contributed to the regional list. One area in which UHV received high marks was the university’s eight-year graduation rate.
UHV’s eight-year graduation rate is 66 percent of students who enrolled in 2008, which is 15th in the Southern region, according to information from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. In addition, UHV was ranked seventh in the region for having a graduation rate that was much higher than the predicted rate of 52 percent. The system also showed that 45 percent of UHV students received Pell grants in 2018.
In addition, UHV performed well in terms of affordability of the net price of attendance for first-time, full-time and in-state students with annual family incomes of less than $75,000. The university ranked 29th in the region. UHV’s in-state tuition and fees are $7,969 for an undergraduate student taking 30 credit hours during the 2018-2019 school year.
In addition to finances, the list factored in universities’ research spending and service opportunities. UHV spent $1,880,271 on research during the 2018 fiscal year. The university also supports several community service opportunities for its students throughout the year, including the recent Alternative Spring Break trip to Biloxi, Miss., and the annual Jags Join In: Day of Service event.
“UHV places a high priority on providing a convenient, affordable education for its students,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “That combined with the excellent instruction and research opportunities offered by the faculty make UHV an exceptional institution. I am glad to see it receive this recognition.”