UTRGV breaks enrollment record again

UTRGV broke its enrollment record for the seventh time, with an estimated 35,000 or more students enrolled in the Fall 2026 semester, according to a university official.

Griselda Castilla, UTRGV vice president for Strategic Enrollment, provided The Rider with previous enrollment numbers from the Office of Strategic Analysis and Institutional Reporting website, showing a gradual increase in enrollment starting in Fall 2022, with 31,559, to Fall 2025 with 34,925, with another increase “around 1.5%” estimated for the Fall 2026 enrollment. 

Census Day at UTRGV was Sept. 11 for Fall 2026.

According to Castilla, returning students make up most of UTRGV’s enrollment, and the university has also seen an increase in the number of incoming freshmen.

“This will definitely be our largest … entering freshman class,” she said.

Castilla attributed the annual enrollment increases to the university’s affordability, with additional financial programs and minimal increases to tuition.

“It’s definitely our cost,” she said. “That’s one of the things that [we are] very dedicated to keeping. We have not increased our tuition for a couple of years now. We continue to develop programs to help students pay their tuition.”

Castilla said UTRGV’s consistent tuition rates allow families to better plan for college expenses.

UTRGV students’ tuition is capped for four years, she said, which helps to not be “caught off guard” with a tuition increase since it will not impact students who already are enrolled with the university.

Castilla added tuition is also capped at 12 credit hours.

“So, any additional hours that a student takes above that is essentially free,” she said. 

Castilla said she encourages all students to complete their FAFSA application for the Fall 2027 because the application for financial aid is already open.

She said enrollment is prioritized at UTRGV because revenue from enrollment helps improve services provided to students.

“We tell our students, ‘use the library, use your student help,’ you help make that happen [by being] part of a student organization, you know, get involved with the campus,” Castilla said. “… It’s so important for students to take advantage of everything they have here.”

Gemitt George, a health and biomedical science freshman, said he was aware of UTRGV’s consecutive enrollment increases. Despite majoring in a small cohort, he said he has experienced challenges related to the university’s growing student population.

“All the events are … not worth going,” George said, mentioning his experience at The Stomp, where he was “[surrounded] by people.”

He said overcrowding also affects parking. George said he started using Uber to get to campus, which typically costs him $10 and can reach $30 during rush hours. 

Despite issues about overcrowding, George said he was conflicted about whether UTRGV should become more selective in admissions to reduce the influx of students.

“It’s hard … they honestly need that many students, considering how much money they’re spending on everything,” he said.

George added he thinks everyone should have access to college and perhaps “[UTRGV] should be more selective on who they keep.”

Kaylin Rodriguez, a finance and entrepreneurship and innovation junior, said she agrees enrollment increases are good for the school. However, she said admissions could focus more on students’ individual merit.

Rodriguez said UTRGV still fosters close connections despite increases in enrollment, especially compared to larger institutions. 

“UTRGV itself is a really good school,” she said. “I’m glad I have the ability to talk to my professors, and they know me on a name-to-name basis.” 

She said larger universities often have bigger classrooms where students “don’t really become somebody other than a number to these professors.” 

Rodiguez said her concerns about overcrowding involved the university library and parking. She said she sometimes has to arrive on campus before 8 a.m.

“The library’s always packed, which is [inconvenient], especially if you need to do work on the computers or print something out, but itself is not too big of an issue,” she said. 

Rodriguez said UTRGV is doing its best to manage its growing enrollment.

“To be fair, [UTRGV] … was a lot smaller than it is now,” she said. “It’s hard to compare to [other universities] as they probably anticipated a higher amount of students.” 

Castilla said UTRGV is “definitely beginning to be a large institution,” which comes with expansion and improving current resources.

“We are required to do our assessments, and that gives us the opportunity to look at what we’re doing … [or] can improve, whether it’s …  a program, scholarships, resources …, student health, advising and so forth,” she said. “Our priorities are really driven by our students and the type of support they need.”

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