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Posted: 8/30/17

TAMIU Rises in Top Ten National Ranking; Graduate Program Rockets Up 27 Places

 

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Washington Monthly has high praise for TAMIU.  

 

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) has risen four places in a national Top Ten ranking among Southern Colleges by Washington Monthly Magazine in its 2017 College Guide, dubbed “The Other College Guide.”  TAMIU was ranked fourth in the Top Ten.  Last year, it was ranked eighth.

TAMIU also rocketed up 27 places in the College Guide’s National Master’s Universities listing to 68 of 632 institutions ranked.  Last year, TAMIU ranked 95.

The Guide, published since 2005, ranks institutions by social mobility, civic engagement and research; and also measures those that are the best value based on “net price” -- which the guide explains is affordability and how well universities do in graduating students.

In his ‘Best Bang for Buck Colleges 2017” overview, Guide author Robert Kelchen notes ‘Best Bang’ universities listed charge students “a reasonable price for quality education that will advance them in their careers.” 

Among factors considered in the ranking methodology are the percentage of first generation students, student loan repayment rates, net price rank, predicted median earnings and median earnings 10 years after entering college, among others.  

Other Texas institutions in the Top 10 included Texas Woman’s University (2) and Texas A&M University (3).   Other ranked Texas universities among the 199 studied included Sam Houston State University (12) University of Texas at El Paso (17) and Trinity University (25).

TAMIU President Dr. Pablo Arenaz said both rankings are a source of great pride for all members of the TAMIU community:  students, faculty, staff and alumni, and reinforces the University’s efforts to keep costs down and the University accessible. 

“This is an outstanding endorsement of the importance of doing things right.  We listen to our students and the communities we serve, and have created a higher education destination with world-class facilities and a global faculty that engages and advances students’ experiences in meaningful ways.  I’m especially impressed that this ranking appreciates social mobility and student engagement, both dynamic elements that distinguish our campus.  When we say we ‘Go Beyond,’ we mean it,” Dr. Arenaz concluded. 

TAMIU’s social mobility was noted in The New York Times last year, which reported research findings from the Equality of Opportunity project, which ranked TAMIU third in the nation for highest upward income mobility rate: noting graduates moved from the bottom 40% to the top 40% in earnings.

Student engagement at TAMIU comes about through service-learning programs and volunteer initiatives. Last year, TAMIU received its second consecutive Presidential Honor Roll Award for its exemplary community service programs. Through its capstone service-learning projects, faculty and student lead-research initiatives, staff and student general volunteerism efforts, TAMIU has generated over $3 million in in-kind economic impact.

Dean of TAMIU’s Graduate School, Dr. Jennifer Coronado, said the significant movement in TAMIU’s ranking among Master’s Universities is encouraging. 

“We offer solid, research-based, relevant graduate programs in both online and onsite offerings that are delivered at a reduced cost on a flexible schedule.  It’s especially encouraging to find a national ranking authority that considers research an important element in their rankings. Our students, faculty, staff and alumni can be justifiably proud,” Dr. Coronado noted. 

Founded in 1969, Washington Monthly is a bimonthly nonprofit magazine covering politics, government, culture and the media. The magazine’s editors explicitly reject the criteria used by U.S. News & World Report, describing that approach as identifying schools "that spend the most money, exclude the most students and impress a small circle of elites."

Washington Monthly’s complete 2017 rankings can be found here: http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017college-guide

The 2017 Best Bang for The Buck for Southern Colleges rankings can be found here: http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017college-guide?ranking=best-bang-for-the-buck-south-d85a1315-d99e-4e69-a571-7292c1f226fd

Information on the National Masters Listing is here: http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017college-guide?ranking=2017-rankings-national-universities-masters

For additional information, contact the TAMIU Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu, click on tamiu.edu or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, Suite 268.

University information is also available on its social media sites on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.