Adrian Broaddus
UTEP has been ranked as number 10 in the Top 10 list of universities across the country for the third year in a row by Washington Monthly Magazine. The magazine also placed UTEP as number one in social mobility for the fourth year running.

UTEP President Diana Natalicio announced the ranking to students and staff at a conference Tuesday morning.

“[This recognition] shows that we have enabled students to achieve their full potential,” Natalicio said.

According to Natalicio, Washington Monthly looks at the number of low-income students that graduate from a university, along with other factors, to determine the social mobility rank. One of the metrics used is the percentage of students attending under Pell Grants, which accounts for 61 percent of UTEP students.

Natalicio also criticized Washington Monthly for basing their graduation rate metric on students who start and finish their degrees at the same university.

“If you look at the total number of graduates, instead of only who starts and finished here, we are quite successful at helping students achieve their full potential,” Natalicio said.

The ranking was generally received well by several students.

“I’m pretty proud of going here,” said Justin Bilbe, junior electrical engineering. “In the research aspect, there are a lot of organizations you can join that can help you advance your academic career.”

Julio Cesar Chavez may be reached at [email protected].