UHV ranked one of top five in state for nontraditional students
The University of Houston-Victoria recently was recognized by a national website as one of the top five best universities in Texas for nontraditional students and one of the top 15 percent nationally.
College Factual compares all universities in the U.S. using several criteria. Among Texas schools, UHV was ranked fifth behind Texas A&M University-College Station, University of Houston-Clear Lake, Texas A&M University-Texarkana and Sam Houston State University. Nationally, UHV was ranked 163rd out of 1,164 colleges and universities across the U.S., placing it in the top 14 percent of institutions of higher education for nontraditional students.
“UHV strives to serve the needs of all of our students, regardless of whether they are traditional high school graduates, transfers from a community college, or starting or returning to school after many years absence,” said David Cockrum, UHV interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We are proud to receive this ranking as one of the top universities in the state and the nation for nontraditional students.”
The website refers to nontraditional students as those who return to college after dropping out or transferring, part-time students, or working adults who need flexible options. When creating the rankings, College Factual considered three main factors: financial, degree completion, and student body composition and resources.
Financial factors included issues such as loan default and repayment rates, post-graduation earning and unemployment rates, acceptance of life or military credits and tuition. Another factor was degree completion, which looked at graduation rates over a span of six or eight years. The third factor was student body composition and available support resources, such as the availability of online courses, support for distance learning and the percentage of students classified as nontraditional.
UHV also has several programs and concentrations that College Factual ranked strongly. These included accounting, finance, general business, computer information systems, interdisciplinary studies and psychology.
“It is exciting to see so many of UHV’s programs and concentrations receive recognition for excellence among other institutions,” Cockrum said. “These rankings confirm that the university’s dedication to providing an excellent, affordable and accessible education is having a positive effect.”
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.
