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UTEP Named an Opportunity University by Carnegie Foundation

One of only 21 universities in the country to hold both R1 and Opportunity designations

EL PASO, Texas (June 24, 2025) – The University of Texas at El Paso has been named an Opportunity College & University in the 2025 Carnegie Classifications. The honor is bestowed upon universities that serve as exceptional springboards to student success, opportunity and economic mobility post-graduation. The new designation makes UTEP one of only 21 institutions of higher education in the nation to hold both R1 status — denoting very high research spending and doctorate production — and Opportunity status.

UTEP has been named an Opportunity College and University in the 2025 Carnegie Classifications. The honor is bestowed upon universities that served as exceptional springboards to student success, opportunity and economic mobility post-graduation.
UTEP has been named an Opportunity College & University in the 2025 Carnegie Classifications. The honor is bestowed upon universities that served as exceptional springboards to student success, opportunity and economic mobility post-graduation.

“UTEP opens doors to opportunity for graduates, and we are the only R1 university in the country that has kept our 100% admission rate for anyone willing to work for it,” said UTEP President Heather Wilson. “I am thankful to the Carnegie Foundation for focusing on results that matter, and we are proud to be a role model for other universities across the country.”

The foundation introduced the new Opportunity College and University category this year to measure the degree to which institutions contribute to the social and economic mobility of their graduates. The designation takes into account measures like the number of recipients of Pell grants, a federal financial aid program for students with financial need; the number of underrepresented groups attending the university; how much graduates earn eight years post-enrollment compared to their peers; and more.

Over half of UTEP undergraduates had their tuition fully covered by grants or scholarships in the 2024-25 school year, thanks to programs like the Paydirt Promise, which covers all tuition and mandatory fees for students with a family income of $100,000 or less. In addition, in 2024, Forbes found that UTEP students graduate with the lowest average debt — $4,735 — out of any college or university in Texas and go on to earn a median salary of $106,500 10 years after graduation.

“The University of Texas at El Paso is rare in so clearly advancing both opportunity and innovation,” said Timothy Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation, in a letter to UTEP. “Thank you for all you do for your students and our country as a whole.”

The Carnegie Classification, published annually by the Carnegie Foundation, is a well-regarded system for classifying institutions of higher education around the country. The classification system was first published in 1973 and is most well-known for its ranking of universities according to levels of research performed and number of doctoral degrees awarded. UTEP first attained R1 status, the highest possible ranking, in 2018. The status was reaffirmed in 2022.

UTEP also holds a Community Engagement Classification from Carnegie, making it one of only 11 universities in the country to hold three Carnegie classifications: R1, Opportunity and Community Engagement designations. The community engagement category recognizes universities that collaborate extensively with the broader community to address local issues, improve teaching and learning and educate engaged citizens. 

About The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 25,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 171 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.

Last Updated on June 24, 2025 at 12:00 AM | Originally published June 24, 2025

By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications