Understanding UTEP Tuition Fees and Costs

Navigating the financial aspects of higher education can be daunting. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of tuition fees and associated costs at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), offering clarity for prospective and current students.

Cost of Attendance vs. Net Price

It's crucial to understand the difference between the Cost of Attendance (COA) and the actual amount you'll pay, known as the net price. Your COA, or budget, is an estimate of how much it costs for you to live and study while you're enrolled at UTEP. The COA is used to calculate your financial need and how much financial aid you can receive. UTEP only bills you for direct costs like tuition, but your COA includes allowances for things you pay outside of the University, like school supplies and living expenses. Your cost of attendance is also the maximum amount of financial aid you can receive from UTEP. The average cost of tuition and fees for students is based on your program, whether you are a Texas resident, and how many credits you enroll in. This is an approximation of what you pay to UTEP, but it's not a bill. The average cost of food and housing for a student in El Paso, Texas. This is not something you pay to UTEP, unless you live in UTEP housing, and it's an expense you probably would pay even if you were not a college student. We calculate a different amount of food and housing depending on if you live with your parents or other family members, by yourself, or at UTEP dormitories. The cost of getting to UTEP from home and back, or from UTEP to work, etc. An allowance for things like clothing, laundry, personal hygiene items, etc. Your actual costs may vary, depending on lifestyle choices you make. Certain programs, like the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, require you to buy health insurance. There are other costs that can be added to your COA, but we don't include them automatically.

Your net price could be significantly lower if you're eligible for grants, scholarships, and other forms of aid, including exemptions. If you are registered, you can see the exact charges and expected financial aid in your statement.

Key Components of the Cost of Attendance

The COA encompasses various expenses, both direct and indirect:

Tuition and Fees: This is the direct cost of enrollment, covering academic instruction and university services. Tuition and fees are based on full-time enrollment and will be reduced if you enroll less than full-time. What you pay to UTEP as a full-time student should be very close to the tuition and fees amounts above: the average Texas resident undergraduate student pays between $8,000 and $9,000 for full-time enrollment in both fall and spring. After you register for courses, you can see the exact amount in your statement. We calculate your cost of attendance based on what the average student pays, but your costs could be slightly higher or lower.

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Food and Housing: This covers the cost of meals and accommodation, whether on or off-campus. The calculation varies depending on whether you live with parents, independently, or in UTEP dormitories.
Transportation: This includes the cost of commuting to and from UTEP, or between UTEP and work.
Personal Expenses: This is an allowance for personal items like clothing, laundry, and hygiene products.
Health Insurance: Certain programs, such as the Doctor of Physical Therapy, mandate health insurance coverage.

Tuition and Fee Specifics

The University of Texas System Board of Regents is authorized to set tuition, pursuant to state law. Tuition and fees are subject to change by legislative or regental action and become effective on the date enacted. The Texas Legislature does not set a specific amount for any particular student fee.

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Mandatory Fees

These are required as a condition of enrollment.

Student General Property Deposit

A one-time $10.00 fee assessed at the time of the student's initial registration at the University. This fee is refundable to the student at the end of his or her University enrollment less any loss, damage, or breakage caused by the student. A property deposit which remains without call for refund for a period of four (4) years from the date of last attendance at the University will be forfeited and will become the property of the Student General Property Deposit Endowment Fund.

Course Fees

Course fees are authorized by the UTEP administration and The University of Texas System Board of Regents.

Tuition for Excessive Credit Hours

A resident student who has attempted 170 or more semester credit hours will be charged a higher tuition rate than is charged to other resident students. The higher tuition rate will be the non-resident rate for any credit hours above 169. Beginning fall semester 1999, a resident doctoral student who has a total of 100 or more semester credit hours of doctoral work at an institution of higher education can be required to pay non-resident doctoral tuition rates.

Payment Options

UTEP offers various payment methods and plans:

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Accepted Payment Methods: Cash, check, MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and Discover.
Installment Plan: The University shall assess the Installment Tuition Handling Fee of $20.00 to students choosing Method 2; this charge is payable at the time of registration.
Payment Plan: A payment plan selected at the time of registration will be binding and will be applied to any subsequent add/drop activities; however, pre-payment of outstanding balances will be accepted.

Refunds

Refund policies are established by, and are subject to change by, the Legislature of the State of Texas and are applicable to withdrawals and dropped courses.

Parts of Term 10 weeks or longer:

Prior to the first class day 100%.
During the first five class days 80%.
During the second five class days 70%.
During the third five class days 50%.
During the fourth five class days 25%.

Parts of Term 5 weeks but fewer than 10 weeks:

Prior to the first class day 100%.
During the first, second, or third class day 80%.
During the fourth, fifth, or sixth class day 50%.

Parts of Term 5 weeks or fewer:

Prior to the first class day 100%.
During the first class day 80%.
During the second class day 50%.

The student's tuition and fees assessment will be based upon the courses for which a student is enrolled on the official census date, which is the twelfth (12th) class day in a long semester. Census Date is defined as the 12th class day for Fall or Spring semesters and Summer terms of 10 weeks or longer; the fourth class day for terms of more than five weeks, but less than 10 weeks.

Note: The percentage of refund is based on the total tuition, and mandatory and incidental fees assessed, not on the amount paid. Unless the student withdraws completely from school prior to the first official class day, the student is responsible for a percentage of total tuition and mandatory and incidental fees assessed.

Return of Title IV Funds

As an institution participating in programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended (Act), The University of Texas at El Paso is required to refund unearned tuition, fees, room and board, and other charges to certain students attending the institution for the first time who have received a grant, a loan, or work assistance under Title IV of the Act, or whose parents have received a loan on their behalf under 20 United States Code, Section 1087-2.

The refund is required if the student does not register for, withdraws from, or otherwise fails to complete the period of enrollment for which the financial assistance was intended. No refund is required if the student withdraws after a point in time that is sixty percent of the period of enrollment for which the charges were assessed. A refund of tuition, fees, room and board, and other charges will be determined for students who withdraw prior to this time. The refund is the larger of the amount provided for in Section 54.006, Texas Education Code or a pro rate refund calculated pursuant to Section 484B of the Act. For example, if you completed 35% of your payment period or period of enrollment, you earn 35% of the assistance you were originally scheduled to receive.

I. The Return of Title IV policy is to establish the processes for returning federal funds for students who completely withdraw from the institution and/or withdraw from all courses in a given period of enrollment.II. III. Federal Financial Aid (Title IV aid) is awarded under the assumption that a student will remain in attendance for the entire period of enrollment for which aid was awarded. When a student withdraws from all courses, regardless of the reason, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of the federal financial aid originally awarded.

IV. Students who receive federal financial aid must remain in their registered classes to âearnâ the aid they originally received. The amount of federal aid earned is based on a pro-rated formula. The institutional charges used in the calculation are the charges initially assessed the studentâs account for the period of enrollment. Initial charges may only be adjusted by those changes the institution made prior to the studentâs withdrawal.

V. For students that may be enrolled in multiple parts of terms, UTEP will combine all courses to form a period of enrollment. A student is considered withdrawn if the student does not complete all of the days in the period of enrollment that the student was scheduled to complete. For example, if a student is enrolled in a Summer I course and a Summer II course, the studentâs period of enrollment is from the date Summer I begins to the last date of Summer II. If the student completes Summer I and does not attend the Summer II course, the student will be considered a complete withdrawal. If a student withdraws from a course in a later part of term while still attending a current part of term, the student is not considered as withdrawn based on not attending the later part of term. Students who provide written confirmation to the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) at the time of ceasing attendance in a part of term that they plan to attend another course later in the same payment period are not considered to have withdrawn from the term. Note: Written confirmation of a later class is required; registration alone does not meet this requirement. If the student does not provide written confirmation of plans to return to school later in the same payment period or term, UTEP considers the student to have withdrawn and begins the R2T4 process. Students who do not begin attendance in their scheduled classes are not eligible for federal financial aid and must repay all aid originally received. If the student does not pay the funds owed to UTEP, a financial hold is placed on the student's account by Student Business Services.

Each week, on Monday, an automated report is generated and sent to the Financial Aid Compliance Manager and to the Financial Aid Information Analyst. The report is used to identify those students whom have officially withdrawn from all of their Title IV eligible courses in the period of enrollment. A student may add and/or remove courses before the census date.

IX. The University of Texas at El Paso is not required to take attendance. At the end of the main part of term (semester) and after grades are officially posted, a report is created to identify those students whom did not earn a passing grade. This report will include the following grades N, F, W, F, NC, WC, I, I, U*, U, WF. If one or more F grades are listed as âSAâ (student stopped attending) and there are no earned Fâs or any passing grades, the OSFA will consider the student as an unofficial withdrawal because the student did not successfully complete at least one course in the period of enrollment. If a student has a âstopped attendingâ F grade but completed more than 50% of the period of enrollment, the student may submit to OSFA, ocumentation pertaining to an academically related activity to use as the withdrawal date. An academically related activity may include, but is not limited to, taking a test or exam, attending a class lecture; completing an academic assignment, paper, or project; or participating in an online discussion.

X. XI. The loan grace period begins on the withdrawal date from the school or when a student ceases to be enrolled at least half-time. If the student does not re-enroll as a half-time student within 6 months of withdrawal or less than half-time enrollment, the loan(s) enters repayment. The promissory note signed by the borrower outlines the repayment obligations.XII. A post-withdrawal disbursement may be required if the total amount of the Title IV aid earned as of the withdrawal date is more than the amount that was disbursed to the student.. Grants from a PWD may be credited to the studentâs school account without obtaining student permission. However, it may only be credited for tuition, fees, and room and board (if the student contracts with the school) or disbursed directly to the student. The University must obtain confirmation from the student, or from a parent for a Direct Parent PLUS Loan, before making any disbursement of loan funds.

XIII. Students who owe UTEP because of an R2T4 calculation will be placed on a financial hold by Student Business Services.XIV. A withdrawal may affect a studentâs completion rate.XV. XVI. This information is provided in summary form.

Concurrent Enrollment

When a student registers at more than one public institution of higher education at the same time, tuition charges shall be determined in the following manner (Texas Education Code, section 54.011):

The student shall pay the full tuition charge to the first institution at which the student is registered; and in any event the student shall pay an amount at least equal to the minimum tuition specified in this code.
If the minimum tuition specified in this code for the first institution at which the student is registered is equal to or greater than the minimum tuition specified in this code for the second institution at which the student is registered concurrently, the student shall not be required to pay the specified minimum tuition charge to the second institution in addition to the tuition charge paid to the first institution, but shall pay only the hourly rates, as provided in this code, to the second institution.
If the minimum tuition specified in this code for the first institution at which the student is registered is less than the specified minimum tuition charge at the second institution (that is, if the second institution has a higher minimum tuition charge specified in this code), then the student shall first register at the institution having the lower minimum tuition and shall pay to the second institution only the amount equal to the difference between the student's total tuition charge at the second institution and the student's total tuition charge at the first institution, but in no case shall the student pay to the second institution less than the hourly rates as provided in this code.
If a student is considered to be a Texas resident and therefore qualified to pay Texas resident tuition rates by one institution at which the student is registered, the student shall be considered a Texas resident at each of the institutions at which the student is concurrently registered for the purposes of determining the proper tuition charges.
Nothing in this subsection shall be so construed as to allow a nonresident to pay resident tuition except at institutions covered by Section 54.231 of this code.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

UTEP offers various financial aid options, including:

Need-Based Aid: This takes a studentâs financial status into account. In fall 2023, 82% of first-year students received need-based financial aid. The average need-based scholarship or grant awarded to first-year students was $10,835.
Merit-Based Aid: Also called non-need-based aid, is awarded for a specific talent or academic achievement. The average non-need-based scholarship or grant awarded to first-year students at The University of Texas--El Paso â excluding any athletic scholarships, if applicable â was $1,702.
Self-Help Aid: This includes federal loans and work-study. The average need-based self-help aid awarded to first-year students was $3,258.

UTEP met 58% of its studentsâ financial aid need.

Types of Need-Based Scholarships/Grants Available

Student Loan Debt

At The University of Texas--El Paso, the median federal loan debt among borrowers who completed their undergraduate degree is $18,000. The median monthly federal loan payment (if it were repaid over 10 years at 5.05% interest) for student federal loan borrowers who graduated is $191. Additionally, 3% of graduating students at The University of Texas--El Paso took out private loans. Students with private loans had an average of $12,690 in private loan debt at graduation.

Scholarships

Scholarships are a type of funding that you donât need to pay back. Need-based scholarships take a studentâs financial status into account. Merit-based scholarships are awarded to students for academic or athletic achievement. You might also qualify for a scholarship based on your community service involvement, unique hobbies or traits, your personal background, or a parentâs employer or military affiliation. Some students receive enough in scholarship money to cover their tuition and living expenses.

Tuition Rebate

The Texas Legislature has authorized a $1,000 tuition rebate for students who complete baccalaureate degrees with no more than three credits in excess of those required for the studentâs degree. The purpose of the program is to provide a financial incentive for students to prepare for university studies while completing their high school work, to avail themselves of academic advising, make early career decisions, and complete their baccalaureate studies with as few courses outside the degree plan as possible.

Miner Gold Card

The Miner Gold card is the official identification (ID) card of The University of Texas at El Paso. The Miner Gold card is the property of the University and is non-transferable. All first-time students will be assessed a one-time, non-refundable $10.00 fee for the ID card. Any card rendered unusable, damaged, lost, or stolen will be assessed a $20.00 fee.

Exemptions

Disabled Veterans, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients, Former Prisoners of War, Pearl Harbor Survivors, and Purple Heart Recipients whose vehicles display the special license plates issued by the State of Texas or applicable state of issuance are exempt from payment of parking charges at paid short-term surface metered parking upon proper registration with Parking and Transportation Services, in accordance with State law. This privilege applies to the veteran only and not anyone else driving the vehicle.

Tuition Rate Plans

Traditional Rate Plan: This plan locks in tuition rates for one academic year at a time.
Guaranteed Rate Plan: This plan locks in tuition rates for four consecutive years and protects the student against increases during those four years.

Additional Financial Resources

Emergency Tuition Loan: This can ONLY be used for tuition and fees. Payments are due in four (4) installments of 20%, each month of the long semester starting on September or February, respectively. To be eligible for the Emergency Tuition Loan, a student must be enrolled for the current term with no past due balances. Current tuition and fees, parking decal, health insurance, and meal plan that are assessed at the time of enrollment are included in this option. There is a convenience fee of $20, and the interest rate is generally no more than approximately $10 per month.
Book Loan: This is a short-term loan that is available at the beginning of each semester. This is not a cash option.
UTEP Easy Pay Installment Plan: The UTEP Easy Pay Installment Plan allows students to pay 20% of their tuition and fees at the beginning of the semester. To use the UTEP Easy Pay Installment Plan contact the UTEP Student Business Services.

Tuition Costs Compared

The University of Texas--El Paso's tuition is $8,508 for in-state and $21,164 for out-of-state students. Compared with the national average cost of in-state tuition of $12,436, The University of Texas--El Paso is cheaper. For students coming from out of state, the tuition is cheaper than the national average cost of out-of-state tuition of $29,815.These figures include both tuition and fees, also referred to as the sticker price. Fees differ by institution and may fund library services, student gym facilities, student centers, technology resources and campus health centers.As youâre comparing costs of different institutions, also consider the total cost and the net price. The total cost is the sticker price, plus the cost of food and housing, books and supplies, and transportation and personal expenses.

Responsibility of Student Business Services

The primary responsibility of Student Business Services is to ensure the proper stewardship of the University's financial resources. Toward this end, we strive to provide valuable, timely, and meaningful financial information to University administrators to allow informed decision making in pursuit of overall institutional goals. We must ensure sound and efficient financial practices and services to the University community and must service our customers in an ethical, professional, and courteous manner. Our goal is to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of our customers - University students, administrators, faculty, staff and representatives from other state agencies.

Important Considerations

Financial Holds: Students who owe UTEP because of an R2T4 calculation will be placed on a financial hold by Student Business Services.
Student Responsibilities: The University is not responsible for any debts contracted by individual students or by student organizations. No action from students is needed in response to the notification as the communication is for informational purposes only.
Withdrawal Impact: A withdrawal may affect a studentâs completion rate.
Working while in school: Working while in school can help lessen the burden of your student loans. Schools offer work-study programs to those who qualify and campus jobs to students looking to earn money in their free time. Some institutions match students with work-study positions, while others require them apply to the positions, like they would for any other job. Begin your job search by checking whether your college has in-person or online job boards.

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