Imagine yourself stretched out on the beach soaking up the rays at the southern tip of Texas. That is resort territory and that is where you could earn your degree if you elect to study at the University of Texas in Brownsville. The school began in 1926 as Texas South Most University. It has also been affiliated with Pan-American University. The University of Texas at Brownsville is ranked in the tier two schools by the U.S. News and World Reports. It also is #112 for Best Online Education programs and #96 of Best Graduate Nursing Programs. About half of the classes at the school have fewer than 50 students, so you’ll be able to hear a lot of differing viewpoints and some lively discussion while still enjoying a class small enough to interact with the faculty. In fact the student-to-faculty rate at UTB is 20:1. In addition, this university is the only accredited school to house a foreign consulate. The University of Texas at Brownsville enjoys a multicultural environment but, because of its proximity to the Mexican border, Hispanic culture is especially rich at the school. The university is built upon the grounds of historic Fort Brown, and some of the buildings still exist on the campus. You will feel a connection to the past while exploring your future.

University of Texas at Brownsville Accreditation Details

The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The nursing program is accredited by the Nursing Accreditation Council for Education in Nursing, Inc. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education accredits the education programs. Music programs at the school are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music/ The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accredits the business program and the engineering program is accredited by the engineering commission of ABET.

University of Texas at Brownsville Application Requirements

If you are a freshman entering UTB for the first time, you must first apply to the university. Application deadlines change, so you should check the school website. Applications are available from the school, as printable documents from the website, or can be filled out online. You will have to submit your official high school transcript. If you did not graduate from high school, but earned a CED certificate, you will submit that along with your test scores. You will also need the official report from either the ACT or the SAT, whichever you took. You will have to submit at least two proofs of your Texas residency. If you are admitted, you will take placement tests and be immunized. If you are transferring from another school, you will need transcripts from each post-secondary school you attended. You could also be admitted as a Fresh Start student. In this case, you will need to apply in writing to the program but you will not need transcripts for classes you took ten or more years prior to your admission to the university. If you are a graduate student, you will need proof of your degree as well as your transcript. You also must have earned GPA of not less than a 3.0. The school requires graduate applicants to have a satisfactory GRE score and to complete a personal essay about their educational goals. In addition to this, graduate students must meet all the departmental requisites of the major to which they apply.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Undergraduate tuition for Texas residents is $159.41 per credit hour. Out-of-state students should expect to pay $526.11 per credit hour. Of course, in addition to this there are fees and costs for housing and meals. You will want to budget for textbooks as well. Graduate in-state tuition is $191.33 and for those who reside outside of Texas, tuition is $575.49. Some graduate students may qualify for a fee reduction program by contacting the university. The school does offer a tuition installment payment plan. Most students, however, will need financial aid. Your first step is to fill out the FAFSA. This free document, offered by the federal government, figures out your family educational contribution and subtracts that from the cost of your education. The resulting figure is your financial need. The government will also see if you qualify for a Pell Grant, as most do, and for another grant available to students who demonstrate extreme financial hardship. You will receive the results of the FAFSA within a few weeks. Then you should apply for state and university grants and scholarships. There are also private and corporate scholarships available. These are listed on the school website and can also be researched on the Internet. A unique program, offered at UTB, called Imagine College, covers full tuition and housing for first-time students whose families earn less than $30,000. After exploring these “free” money resources, you will want to investigate student loans. The government offers a couple of these and there are usually funds available through endowments to the school, although competition for these is high. There are many banks that offer low-interest loans to students too. The last resource to look at is work-study programs, and your advisor can tell you about these.

Surprising Degree Offerings

The most popular degree at the University of Texas at Brownsville is “Multidisciplinary Studies.” You may not have heard of this degree, but it is a real boon to you if you can’t find the major you need for your career. This program allows students to choose courses from a maximum of three disciplines to make up their program. For instance, if you want to become a museum curator, you might combine history, fine arts and business courses. Some Multidisciplinary Degrees can be earned completely online. At the University of Texas at Brownsville, the is a big advantage because of their unique student portal that allows students to access many university offices, pay bills, check assignments and participate in student forums from their computers. Another major that is emerging at this school is Bioengineering. This degree features areas such as artificial intelligence and robotics. Classes are heavy in math because that is the language of computers and the tool of engineers. In this major you will also study biology, physics and, of course, computing. There are many more exciting degrees at the University of Texas at Brownsville that can help you find the career you dream of while you spend your off-hours on a sunny beach.