CollegeNET, Inc., a leading provider of web-based on-demand technologies for higher education, and the creator of the Social Mobility Index (SMI), a data-driven system that ranks 4-year US colleges and universities according to how effectively they enroll students from low-income backgrounds and graduate them into promising careers, today announced that the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has been selected as the second of 10 Social Mobility Innovators for 2017.

The goal of the SMI -- now in its third year -- is to help redirect the attribution of "prestige" in our higher education system toward colleges and universities that are advancing economic opportunity, the most pressing issue of our time.

A public university with nearly 28,000 students, UTRGV was formed from two legacy institutions -- the University of Texas at Brownsville and University of Texas-Pan American -- in 2015. Approximately 90 percent of UTRGV’s students are Hispanic, and it was ranked among the top 20 schools in the SMI data for 2016.

“Most of the higher education rankings try to help students choose a college or university,” says Jim Wolfston, CEO of CollegeNET. “The SMI, on the other hand, tries to help policymakers see which colleges and universities are addressing the national problem of economic mobility. Administrators in higher education can be more effective in strengthening US economic mobility and restoring the promise of the American Dream in the 21st century if they can identify and learn from committed colleges and universities like UTRGV that are already skilled at doing this.”

Eliminating College Cost Pressures and Barriers

UTRGV was selected as CollegeNET’s second Social Mobility Innovator for 2017 because it has developed a series of cutting-edge programs designed to make college affordable for low-income students and help them realize the significant economic opportunity an undergraduate degree offers.

“A large proportion of our students are from low-income families and they’re the first generation in their families to attend college,” says Dr. Kristin Croyle, Vice President for Student Success at UTRGV. “We really believe that they’re excellent students, and that they deserve to be here on campus. That’s why we have such a strong institutional will to serve them, and why student success is our first priority.”

A key part of this student-centric effort has been UTRGV’s attempt to eliminate cost pressures and barriers, which have negatively affected college retention and graduation rates across the US. Tuition and fees for a resident undergraduate at UTRGV in academic year 2016-2017 are $7,438, the second lowest in the University of Texas system and the third lowest in the state of Texas for all public universities. On a national level, the $7,438 figure is lower than the average 2016-2017 tuition and fees for state residents at public colleges -- $9,650 -- according to the College Board.

In addition to low tuition, UTRGV guarantees undergraduates that their tuition won’t increase for four years. The university also offers students a robust emergency loan program if their scholarship or aid money is delayed or held up by bureaucratic red tape. Finally, tuition and mandatory fee charges at UTRGV are capped for resident students at 12 credit hours each semester. This allows many students on campus to take an extra 3-6 credit hours per semester for free. “Students are saving money and are on track to graduate earlier because of this program,” explains Croyle, who points out that approximately one-third of all UTRGV students are currently enrolled in 15 or more credit hours.

To fully prepare students for this post-graduate world, UTRGV provides an array of academic internships and makes sure that undergraduates have every available opportunity for on-campus employment. “Our university staff has to hire a student for a part-time job opening or justify a non-student hire,” says Croyle, “because, if students work on campus, they’re more likely to go to class and do better academically.”

Attacking Higher Education’s Harmful “Tri-Imperfecta”

“It’s inspiring that a new university like UTRGV is focused on providing educational opportunity to promising students regardless of their economic background,” says CollegeNET’s Wolfston. “And UTRGV’s selection as a 2017 Social Mobility Innovator is even more important, given the fact that higher education’s key role in advancing economic mobility and the American Dream is rapidly deteriorating. Indeed, we’re caught in a very damaging ‘tri-imperfecta’ right now. Tuitions are increasing, economic inclusion is declining on campuses and Pell Grants -- intended for disadvantaged students with financial need -- are being awarded more generously to richer families. The work that UTRGV is doing can help reverse these trends.”

See the complete SMI rankings.

About CollegeNET, Inc.

CollegeNET, Inc. builds on-demand SaaS technologies that help institutions improve operational efficiency, enhance communication with constituents, and save money. The company’s systems are used by 1,300 institutions worldwide for event and academic scheduling, recruitment and admissions management, web-based tuition processing, instructor and course evaluation, and web-based career services for students. Additionally, the company operates CollegeNET.com, a social network through which students create topics, write about them, and vote to determine who will win scholarships. CollegeNET.com has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to date. The company is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.