Cost & financial aid brief
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does UT Rio Grande Valley cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 71% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average net prices by family income band show a pattern of lower costs at lower incomes.
The lowest band, families earning under $30,000, averages $3,785. The next band, $30,001–$48,000, averages $3,877, followed by $5,665 for $48,001–$75,000, $7,972 for $75,001–$110,000, and $13,782 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,997.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley publishes a cost of attendance of $16,830, an average across living arrangements. In-state tuition is $9,987 and room and board is $9,728.
For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $3,785. The average net price for families earning $48,001–$75,000 is $5,665, and for families earning over $110,000 it is $13,782.
Azimuth ranks The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley #18 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Financial aid reduces the sticker price by an average of $11,999, bringing the average net price across all aid recipients to $4,831.
The median net price at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $15,634, which places UT Rio Grande Valley below that peer figure by $10,803. Out-of-state students face a published tuition of $19,827.
Median federal student debt at completion is $12,950, with 47.5% of federal aid recipients borrowing federal loans. The median federal debt at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076, so borrowing at UT Rio Grande Valley runs below the peer median by $7,126.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $8,107. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $147 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who complete a degree at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley leave with a median of $12,950 in federal student loans. That is $7,126 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
About 47.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program carry a separate median of $8,107.
Four years after completing a degree at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, graduates earn a median of $53,888. That figure is below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and it lands in the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
At the same time, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley graduates earn about $11,519 more than expects for similar students. That result places the university in the 86th percentile nationally.
Scenarios modeled from the program mix point to a typical earnings outcome of $53,888, with a downside scenario of $40,856 and an upside scenario of $73,541. On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt at completion is $12,950, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment comes to $147.
For a separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $8,107. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $147.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $8,107
- Estimated parent payment
- $103/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Safe |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $12,950
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $8,107
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $147/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $103/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $250/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $53,888, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.6% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
The income spectrum compares the estimated student payment with the income left after the selected annual expense allowance. Changing the earnings scenario or allowance changes that comparison; parent payments are not included in this calculation.
The earnings choices are planning scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles or predictions of an individual graduate’s pay. The allowance is an adjustable model input, not a verified budget for your household.
Read the result as a comparison under those assumptions, not a guarantee that a payment is affordable.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Federal student and Parent PLUS borrowing figures do not capture all private education loans. A federal balance therefore should not be described as a family’s complete borrowing total.
Annual loan awards in a Common Data Set, when available, answer a different question from accumulated borrower debt. Compare amounts only after identifying the loan type, reporting period and population; annual school-wide awards cannot be added to a median borrower balance.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.