UHV ranked among top 10 Texas public universities based on student reviews
Student posts on a national higher education website have earned the University of Houston-Victoria a spot among the top 10 public universities in Texas.
The university is ranked No. 8 out of 32 Texas public universities in the Niche.com 2016 Best Colleges list. The rankings are based on students’ reviews in various categories about universities and the surrounding communities. The website allows students to grade universities in multiple categories, which are then used to calculate overall grades.
“It is encouraging to receive positive feedback from our students,” UHV Interim President Vic Morgan said. “As the university continues to grow into a destination university and new buildings and resources are added to campus, I know our services also will continue to improve in order to offer our students the best education and experiences available.”
Students gave UHV feedback in 12 categories. The university earned “A” grades in the areas of professors, diversity, drug safety and parking.
For Catherine Newell, a UHV senior pursuing her Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and management, UHV was her first choice for higher education. She grew up and still lives in Victoria, and her mother is a UHV alumna. When looking at the rankings, she agreed with a lot of the feedback from other students, especially when it came to the school’s faculty members.
Newell recalled one time when she was having trouble in a statistics class. She chose to go to the university’s tutoring center for extra help. The professor became even more supportive of Newell for her willingness to putting in extra effort.
“The professors at UHV are top-notch,” she said. “Academic success at UHV starts with the solid foundation provided by the professors who are highly intelligent and always willing to help students.”
The school’s diversity also is a positive element, Newell said. UHV has students from many foreign countries, including England, Scotland, China and India. The university also is designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution. About 31 percent of the UHV student body is Hispanic.
“It’s great to see people from all over the world concentrated on this campus,” Newell said. “It’s a great opportunity to learn about different cultures. I get the chance to better understand others and learn about their habits and experiences.”
One area that Newell and the students surveyed would like to see improved is community activity options available close to student housing.
“A lot of students don’t have their own vehicles, so it can be difficult to go to different areas of town to eat out or do certain activities,” Newell said. “There’s some development happening on the Houston Highway, so I’m looking forward to seeing what new things will be built nearby.”
In addition, the reviews show that students are looking forward to the new residence hall planned across Ben Wilson Street from the UHV campus as well as more dining options.
“UHV is a great university, and there’s so much potential here for development,” Newell said. “Students already have some great opportunities to get involved on campus and earn an excellent education, and the positives will keep coming as the campus continues to grow.”
To see the students’ reviews and learn more about UHV’s ranking, go to colleges.niche.com/rankings/top-public-universities/s/texas/.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
