TAMIU Ranked #4 in Washington Monthly's 2021 'Best Bang for the Buck,' Southern Colleges
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) has once again been recognized as one of the nation's top-ranked Southern Colleges in Washington Monthly Magazine's "Best Bang for the Buck" ranking. TAMIU was ranked #4.
Other Texas institutions in the Top 10 ranking included Texas A&M University (2), Rice University (7), University of Texas at Arlington (9) and University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (10).
The publication's "2021 College Guide and Rankings" also listed TAMIU among the "Best Colleges for Student Voting" list and ranked TAMIU #73 among the nation's "Top 200 Master's Universities."
TAMIU appears regularly in the Magazine’s “Best Bang for the Buck” ranking and last year ranked sixth. It has appeared repeatedly in the Top Ten since 2012.
The full list of rankings is at: https://washingtonmonthly.com/2021college-guide
TAMIU President Dr. Pablo Arenaz said that the rankings represent great points of pride for TAMIU as the University continues to work tirelessly to ensure students receive quality education at an affordable price.
"TAMIU is proud to receive news of these rankings as they are a testament to the University's commitment to providing top-quality education at an affordable price to all," Dr. Arenaz said, "Generations of TAMIU students have realized their higher education dreams here and have attained upper social mobility thanks to TAMIU's commitment and dedication to educational excellence."
According to the Magazine, the colleges in the "Best Bang for the Buck" ranking help non-wealthy students obtain marketable degrees at affordable prices. It ranks institutions based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research and providing opportunities for public services.
Metrics used in the "Best Bang for the Buck" among Southern Colleges ranking include: 8-year graduation rate, Pell/non-Pell graduate rate gap, number of Pell graduates, actual vs. predicted Pell enrollment, percent of graduates above 150% of poverty line, net price of attendance for families below $75,000 income, percent of loan principal remaining five years later, and predicted principal remaining.
The Guide calculates the TAMIU net price of attendance for all students from families with below $75,000 income at $3,592 and the percentage of graduates above 150% of poverty line at 78%.
Arenaz noted that the University constantly works to improve services to further assist students, initiatives that have been especially important during the University’s COVID-19 response.
“Most recently, through federal funding, TAMIU has dedicated some $383,146 to add visiting faculty, and expand mentors and tutors, supplemental instructors, and learning support specialists. In total, 84 positions focused on helping students are being added this Fall. During this challenging time of an ongoing COVID-19 response, such services for student absolutely critical,” he explained.
He noted that in early August, TAMIU received $31 million in new federal funding for its 2021 academic year. This new assistance funds emergency aid grants to students (TAMIU CARES) and the University’s free course materials pilot program, “TAMIU Books IncludED.”
Additional federal funding supports the continuance of a program dedicated to certifying much-needed sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE), research into the study of Hispanic adults, age and fitness levels, and a program seeking to leverage open educational resources (OER) to further reduce student course costs down.
For more information, please contact TAMIU's Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268.
University office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
