The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso International Student Insurance 

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), located in El Paso, Texas, was established in 1914. It opened as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, and a practice mineshaft remains on campus to this day. A fire destroyed a significant part of the campus in 1916, and by 1917, the new campus opened at the school’s present location. The school has seen several name changes, to the Department of Mines and Metallurgy in 1919, the College of Mines and Metallurgy of the University of Texas in 1920, the Texas Western College of the University of Texas in 1949, and finally to its present name in 1967 with the formation of the University of Texas System. 

Today, UTEP enrolls more than 25,000 students and counting each year. Reflective of the El Paso / border region, more than 80% of the student body is Latino. The school colors are orange and dark blue with silver accent, and its athletic nickname is the Miners.

Academic and Research Opportunities

UTEP offers more than 160 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs across its 10 colleges and schools. Highlights include the College of Business Administration, the College of Education, the College of Health Sciences, the College of Nursing, and the College of Liberal Arts. It has also been designated by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 university (very high research activity) and has been ranked by the Brookings Institution as No. 1 among U.S. public universities for achievement in competitive research and social mobility. A few research centers at UTEP include the Center for the Advancement of Space Safety and Mission Assurance Research; the Center for Inter-American and Border Studies; the Latino Alcohol and Health Disparities Research Center; and the Center for Law and Human Behavior.

On Campus

The UTEP campus is distinctive for its use of Dzong architecture, one of the few examples of the style outside of Bhutan or Tibet. Other points of interest on campus are the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, a cultural and natural history museum; a cinema; the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, an internationally known venue for contemporary art; and the UTEP Dinner Theatre.

Notable Alumni

Notable University of Texas at El Paso alumni include actor F. Murray Abraham; Olympic gold medalist Bob Beamon; actress Ana Alicia; human rights activist Alicia Cuaron; and numerous professional athletes from the NBA and NFL.