Quad

Head-to-head

U. Texas Rio Grande Valley
Texas Southern

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Texas Rio Grande Valley graduates 24 pts more of its students than Texas Southern (60% vs. 36%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    U. Texas Rio Grande Valley's yield is 23 pts higher than Texas Southern's

    Yield rate
  3. 3

    U. Texas Rio Grande Valley has 4.2× as many undergrads as Texas Southern

    Undergrads
  4. 4

    U. Texas Rio Grande Valley's grants cover 44% of its full price on average, vs. 30% at Texas Southern

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    U. Texas Rio Grande Valley has 14 pts more first-gen students than Texas Southern (53% vs. 39%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    Texas Southern is more diverse (index 0.25 vs. 0.13)

    Diversity index

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Texas Rio Grande Valley admits 94%, Texas Southern 97%; U. Texas Rio Grande Valley's yield is higher, at 41%.

Acceptance rate
U. Texas Rio Grande Valley94%
Texas Southern97%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Texas Rio Grande ValleyOpen
  • Texas SouthernOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 700–1600
U. Texas Rio Grande Valley
880–1090
Texas Southern
800–1000
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Texas Rio Grande ValleySchool record required
  • Texas SouthernGPA and rank required

Who's on each campus

U. Texas Rio Grande Valley has 4.2× as many undergrads as Texas Southern; Texas Southern has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Texas Rio Grande Valley28.7K
Texas Southern6.8K
Pell Grant share
U. Texas Rio Grande Valley65%
Texas Southern72%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at both; Texas Southern has 19 students per faculty member to U. Texas Rio Grande Valley's 20.

Students per faculty member
U. Texas Rio Grande Valley20 to 1
Texas Southern19 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Texas Rio Grande ValleyPsychology, General10%
  • Texas SouthernPsychology, General8%

What each costs

U. Texas Rio Grande Valley costs about $8.2K less a year than Texas Southern on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Texas Rio Grande Valley$13.7K
Texas Southern$21.8K
Aid generosity
U. Texas Rio Grande Valley44%
Texas Southern30%

What each pays off

U. Texas Rio Grande Valley's former students earn more, a median $49.6K ten years after enrolling.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Texas Rio Grande Valley$49.6K
Texas Southern$38.9K
Graduation rate
U. Texas Rio Grande Valley60%
Texas Southern36%

How each has changed

Applications grew at U. Texas Rio Grande Valley but held steady at Texas Southern; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Texas Rio Grande ValleyGrowing+72%
  • Texas SouthernSteady−7%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why