Welcome to The University of Texas at El Paso. Located in one of the largest binational communities in the world, UTEP is unique among research institutions. The University is home to a majority Hispanic student population, many of whom are among the first in their families to attend college.

UTEP is proud of its multicultural locale and long history of fostering diversity—these characteristics make the campus of more than 22,600 students one of the most friendly and welcoming university settings anywhere.

Since its beginnings as a small mining school in 1914, UTEP has been committed to providing access and excellence to those seeking a higher education. Today, the University offers 75 bachelor's, 78 master's and 19 doctoral degrees, with others in development.

With nearly $70 million in annual research spending, UTEP is dedicated to becoming the first national research (Tier One) university serving a 21st century student demographic. It is a designation that will boost the region's economy and quality of life, while offering a wealth of research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students as the University approaches its centennial anniversary in 2014. To this end, the campus is transforming as UTEP makes unprecedented investments in its research and academic infrastructure.

We invite you to learn more about what makes our University special with this 2011-12 Facts brochure.

UTEP offers 75 bachelor’s, 78 master’s and 19 doctoral degrees, with others in development. The University is nationally recognized for offering service learning opportunities that help the community and give students practical work experience related to their majors through undergraduate and graduate research.

UTEP's innovative learning experiences include a 16,000-square-foot Simulation Center where health professions students can practice in a safe but realistic clinical environment. At the Law School Preparation Institute, 90 percent of program graduates are accepted to law school, well above the national average. The Medical Professions Institute provides preparation, mentoring and networking for students interested in medical careers and has helped make UTEP one of the top schools for producing Mexican-American graduates who are accepted to medical schools. The Executive M.B.A. program attracts top managers from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, and the digital publication Borderzine, based at UTEP, is a web community for Latino student journalists that shifts the new voices, perspectives and experiences of Latinos in the U.S. from the borderline to the centerline. 

The University of Texas at El Paso’s extraordinary progress in developing its research capacity and expanding its doctoral programs has earned UTEP the designation as one of the state’s “Emerging Tier One” universities by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.           
            

With the University’s recent investments in state-of-the-art equipment, laboratories and buildings, it is an exciting time to be a part of the research community at UTEP.
           

The University has nearly $70 million in annual research expenditures. UTEP is ranked second among UT System academic institutions in annual federally funded research spending, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
           

Because of UTEP’s unique location, research opportunities abound for students, beginning at the undergraduate level. The University is situated in one of the world’s largest binational communities, near the southern tip of the Franklin Mountains in the vast Chihuahuan Desert. A strong manufacturing and military presence, as well as a new medical school in the community, open the door for numerous research collaborations.
           

Our centers and laboratories focus on a broad array of research, including drug development, Hispanic health disparities, tissue engineering, nanotechnology for manufacturing and defense, space exploration, environmental studies, earthquake science and much more.

Experience the deafening roar of a sold-out Sun Bowl Stadium or Don Haskins Center, and you’ll quickly understand why die-hard UTEP fans call themselves Miner Maniacs.

There has been much to cheer about in UTEP athletics history. The football team has played in 13 bowl games, including three under former National Coach of the Year Mike Price. The men’s basketball squad has participated in 17 NCAA Tournaments and reached the postseason for the seventh time in eight years in 2011. The women’s basketball team has averaged 20 wins during the last five seasons, including 28 during its record-setting 2007-08 campaign. Overall UTEP has won 25 NCAA titles, including 21 in cross country and track & field.
           

UTEP annually ranks among the Conference USA leaders in football and men’s and women’s basketball attendance. The campus is home to outstanding athletic facilities, including the new $14.3 million, 43,000-square-foot Foster•Stevens Basketball Center, which opened in spring 2009; the $11 million, 65,000-square-foot Larry K. Durham Sports Center; and the $1.8 million Helen of Troy Softball Complex.
          

The UTEP Miners have a great future, but it’s built on the University’s legends of the past. UTEP is home of the famed Texas Western College team that made history when it won the 1966 NCAA basketball championship with the nation’s first all-black starting lineup under Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins. The story was told in the 2006 motion picture Glory Road.

At the Forefront: The Centennial Campaign for UTEP – the University’s most ambitious and comprehensive fundraising effort – is an endeavor to raise $200 million by the University’s 100th anniversary in 2014.
           

The campaign is necessary to build the University’s endowment, advance campus infrastructure, supply financial help for students, and encourage the recruitment and retention of the highly competitive faculty members who enhance research and academics on campus.
           

It also helps UTEP continue its mission to provide access and excellence, and its drive toward becoming the nation’s first national research (Tier One) university with a 21st century student demographic.
           

The Tier One objective has resonated within the region and across the nation, resulting in generous gifts from alumni, friends, corporate and foundation partners nationwide, and the community. People from all walks of life understand the value of the University’s effort, which is focused on its campus but extends well beyond its borders.
           

There are numerous ways to support the students of the Paso del Norte region while contributing to your personal financial objectives. Donors may spread their contribution through a period of time, make a deferred gift or incorporate a gift into their estate planning. Gifts can consist of cash, stocks, mutual funds, real estate, charitable remainder trusts and bequests. Join UTEP in helping students achieve their full potential.
www.campaignforutep.org • givingto.utep.edu

www.campaignforutep.org • www.givingto.utep.edu

Visitor parking pay lots are available at the Academic Services Building at the corner of Schuster Avenue and Hawthorne Street, and at the Sun Bowl Parking Garage near the corner of Sun Bowl Drive and University Avenue. These self-service visitor lots accept credit cards and cash.
           

Visitor parking also is available at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel at University Avenue and Oregon Street. Hotel parking requires a temporary visitor permit that can be obtained at the information kiosks on University Avenue.
           

Some metered parking spaces are available on campus and are intended for short-term visitors. There is a one-hour time limit for parking in metered spaces. All who park in metered spaces are required to pay the meter fee — no exceptions.
           

Stop by the traffic control stations on University Avenue off North Mesa Street or Sun Bowl Drive if you need assistance or information, or call UTEP Parking and Transportation Services at 915-747-5724.

Almost 100 years ago, 27 students rode streetcars and walked nearly a mile through the dusty desert to the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy. It was Sept. 23, 1914, the first day of school at what would become The University of Texas at El Paso.
           

The University was founded on the site of the former El Paso Military Institute with $50,000 pledged by local residents and business owners. The new institution would teach students the science of mining and metallurgy in Texas.
           

Since that time, the University has changed its name to the College of Mines and Metallurgy, Texas Western College and now UTEP. Enrollment has increased to more than 22,000 students. But through all the changes, UTEP has remained a place for access and excellence.
           

Today, as the University approaches its 100th anniversary, it will commemorate this special milestone with centennial celebrations.
           

“As we head toward our centennial year, we have raised our collective expectations once again by accepting the challenge of becoming the first national research – or Tier One – university with a 21st century student demographic,” UTEP President Diana Natalicio said. “This region and the students we serve deserve nothing less, and we can all be proud of the significant progress that we’ve already made toward achieving that goal.”

UTEP’s skyline got an extreme makeover during the past few years as more than $270 million in construction and renovation projects transformed the campus into what will become one of the next national research universities.
           

Many of the jobs have been completed, but the grand opening for others will happen this academic year. Among them is the $69.2 million Chemistry and Computer Science Building, which will help foster interdisciplinary research in chemistry, computational science and bioinformatics. It is expected to open in early 2012.
           

Ground also was broken in 2010 on a new $12.4 million parking garage off Schuster Avenue west of the Academic Services Building and on an $8 million Texas Department of Transportation project to improve westbound traffic flow from Interstate 10 onto campus. Both projects are expected to be finished by spring 2012.
           

Miner faithful are enjoying some of the new facilities on campus, including the $60 million Health Sciences and Nursing Building that features a 16,000-square-foot clinical learning center with state-of-the-art interactive patient simulators, the $32 million Student Recreation Center expansion, the $2 million pedestrian bridge across Sun Bowl Drive, and the $14.7 million UTEP-City of El Paso joint venture transit center and parking garage.