UTRGV achieves prestigious Seal of Excelencia recertification

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has earned the prestigious Seal of Excelencia recertification as announced today by Excelencia in Education, the nation’s premier authority on efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education.

According to Excelencia in Education, the Seal is a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment to more effectively serve Latino students.

The announcement was part of the organization’s National Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., focused on innovating policies to accelerate degree attainment for Latinos and strengthen the country’s civic leadership and workforce.

The university was the only Texas higher education institution to receive the recertification from among nine schools, including five colleges from California, two from Florida and one from Illinois.

UTRGV President Guy Bailey and other members of the university leadership team attended the forum to accept the honor.

“Achieving the Seal of Excelencia recertification is a true reflection of the continued hard work and dedication of our students, staff and faculty,” Bailey said. “We take great pride at UTRGV in our efforts to accelerate success for all students in our region and beyond.”

Through its various programs – including Tuition Advantage, the most expansive free-tuition program among public institutions in Texas – UTRGV strives to better serve and support all students. The highly competitive Tuition Advantage program covers the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for eligible students with a family income of $125,000 or less and with unmet financial need.

UTRGV also focuses on support for first-generation students, and initiatives like the Dual Credit program and the university’s collegiate high schools in Edinburg, Harlingen and McAllen help create a pipeline to higher education for qualified Valley students to earn college credit while in high school.

The university was the only Texas higher education institution to receive the recertification from among nine schools, including five colleges from California, two from Florida and one from Illinois.

UTRGV was first certified with the Seal in 2021, one of 10 institutions in the country to earn the certification that year.

In 2023, Bailey joined the Excelencia in Education Presidents for Latino Success network, made up of 206 university leaders nationwide, including 45 from Texas. He is also one of eight university presidents in the UT System currently in the network. 

In addition to the nine schools receiving recertification, eight other colleges earned the Seal for the first time. According to Excelencia in Education, the 17 Seal-certified institutions exemplify programs and practices that inform good policy.

“The colleges and universities that earn the Seal of Excelencia lead the charge in meeting our nation’s degree attainment goals,” said Deborah Santiago, co-founder and CEO of Excelencia of Education. “They demonstrate commitment to Latino student success through impact and ongoing self-assessment.”

This year’s cohort of newly certified and recertified institutions belongs to a collective of 46 colleges and universities that have earned the Seal. Together, they represent less than 1% of all institutions but enroll 17% and graduate 19% of all Latino students nationwide.

To learn more about the institutions that earned the Seal of Excelencia certification and recertification this year, visit EdExcelencia.org/seal/seal-excelencia-certified-institutions.