University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus
Edinburg, United States
Photo: Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA)

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Edinburg·university

100%

Acceptance rate

$32,385

Tuition/yr

27,000

Enrollment

About University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Public research university in Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Strong engineering, business, and health programs.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public research university established in 2015, with its main campus in Edinburg, Texas, and additional teaching sites across South Texas including Brownsville, McAllen, Harlingen, and Laredo. It enrolls approximately 33,000 students across undergraduate and graduate programs, making it one of the larger public universities in the UT System.

UTRGV offers more than 160 academic programs across 10 colleges and schools, with particular strength in engineering and computer science, health professions, business and entrepreneurship, and education. It is the only university in Texas with both a School of Medicine and a School of Podiatric Medicine, and it generated over $90 million in research expenditures. The university debuted on U.S. News & World Report's Most Innovative Schools list in 2025.

UTRGV's campuses sit in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border, a region with a large Hispanic population and close cultural ties to Mexico. The university is consistently recognized for social mobility and affordability, Washington Monthly ranked it the No. 1 university in Texas in 2024 for its performance on Pell Grant student outcomes and net price of attendance.

World University Rankings

US News Best Global Universities (2025)##213 (National Universities, 2026)

Campus & Location

Province

TX

Campus setting

Suburban

Cost of living: Housing: USD 900–2,500/mo | Food: USD 380–650/mo | Costs vary widely by city.

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

All graduates qualify for 12-month OPT. STEM-designated programs (CS, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, Sciences) qualify for 24-month STEM OPT extension — 36 months total work authorisation.

For Nepali students

  • UTRGV's annual estimated cost of attendance for overseas F-1 undergraduate students is approximately $32,385 (2025-2026), which is significantly lower than flagship US universities, making it a more accessible option for Nepali families on a tighter budget.
  • The university's College of Engineering and Computer Science and its graduate programs in Business Analytics and AI are relevant to Nepali students pursuing STEM and business fields, which qualify for the 24-month OPT STEM extension, giving graduates up to three years of US work authorization after completing their degree.
  • UTRGV ranked No. 213 among National Universities and No. 27 for Social Mobility in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings, reflecting an institutional commitment to serving first-generation and international students from developing regions.
  • International students at UTRGV may qualify for resident tuition rates under certain conditions such as competitive scholarships or graduate assistantships, which can substantially reduce tuition costs from the non-resident rate.

Admission requirements — Nepali equivalents

A rough translation of the published minimums for Nepali applicants:

GPA 3.060%+ in NEB +2, B+ average in Cambridge A-levels, or Second Division in a TU bachelor's degree.
GPA 3.370%+ in NEB +2 or First Division in a TU bachelor's degree.
GPA 3.675%+ in NEB +2 or First Division with Distinction in a TU bachelor's degree.
IELTS 6.5The most common graduate minimum — achievable with 2–3 months of focused preparation. IELTS 7.0+ needed for the most competitive programs.

Use our GPA converter to translate your exact score to the 4.0 scale.

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Data last verified: 2026-06-19 · Source: https://www.utrgv.edu. Information may change — verify with University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s official website before applying.