University of Texas at El Paso — Attraction in El Paso

Beware! UTEP is a 'For Profit' non-profit institution.

The library is like being in a bazaar, where there is no quite time to study unless you go home, besides paying a $10.75 per semester credit hour. So, if you are a full-time student who takes 15 semester credit hours, that equals $161.25. There is more noise in the library than getting out there somewhere. The only quiet place might be the study booths that exist in the 3-4 floor, which are for graduate students only, and for that is a wait of 1 year and a half.

You will pay a fee for a max $180 to fund the student services, no matter if you participate or not. You will pay it!

Then there is a Student Union Fee for construction, operation and maintenance of a union building. Again, it does not matter if you use it or not, you will pay that fee of $30.

The International Education Fee of $4. So you will finance the program of those that are less than 5% and go abroad and study!

A maximum of $258.75 is the fee for technology and network services that is like trash. They keep the internet to the lowest speed available, from which many times it disconnects, especially having students that use it. It is the slowest you can ever experience in your life. It is slower than dial-up connection, if you are one of them who ever dealt with that connection two decades ago. They charged me $207 for technology fee!

$13.20 for medical services; $10 to $50 course fee; $5 adding/dropping classes; the list is long.

I was about to forget, if you rent something from the library, as I did a calculator, you have 24 hours to bring it back, otherwise you will be charged $2 per hour! Then, you will not be able to rent two days in a row; you have to wait two days!

I had to stop here, because the list of fees is very long. If I had to write about them all, I would have had to write as you do for a couple of page essay! So, for as a full time student I paid around $700 in fees only.

In math tutoring place you can have 1 help in one hour. I was told from the tutor that they do private tutoring!

BTW, many times you will not be able to understand the instructors, because they have an accent that you will have hard time understanding. So far I did not have any instructor that was not nice.

Many times the air circulation is terrible in the class. For that, the classroom door must remain open, but unfortunately there are always students who talk loudly or make some kind of noise that will disturb you in the class.

For more info, you can also read the review from Hoejin Kim. It is to the point!

P.S.: This is my experience in UTEP in comparison with two other education institutions I attended before I transferred here because of my orders as a...

This is a review of UTEP's Alternative Teaching Certification Program. If you are a professional, or student, looking to obtain a Texas teaching certification, I highly recommend avoiding UTEP's program. Seek a program through Region 19 or any other reputable program.

The office at UTEP for the ATCP has a high rate of staff change over. While my wife attended the program, getting answers to questions was a slow and aggravating process, with new staff members often unaware of her file or the status of program completion and certainly always empty handed regarding employment opportunities.

The program is costly, but most importantly, they will hold your certification 'ransom' until you obtain a teaching position. One of their main driving pitches is they only collect their fee (~$3,000), through payroll draft, fee after you have been job placed, at which point UTEP notifies the Texas education board that your certification may be released. However, school districts will always ask you in interview if you already possess a valid Texas certification. There seems to be little to no understanding between Texas school districts and the University's program that a given graduate of the program possesses a certification simply pending being hired.

They advertise, and testify in office, that they will assist in job placement. My wife finished the program two years ago, she has 'student' taught at a local private school, and in the time since the program has directed her to a single (1) career fair on campus.

Since she has been utterly dissatisfied with UTEP's program, my wife scheduled a meeting for today, to request if she can outright buy out what is owed to UTEP so that she might have her certification in hand. An email was returned to her for an appointment last week and now, once again, the staff member, Carmen Reyes, isn't returning the call to confirm the appointment. In closing, service from our experience, is very spotty through out the program and generally stops once you have finished...

The instructors think they are celebrities, and refuse to answer student questions. They have"class" by way of a computer program and a student to proctor the class but NOT able to teach the class. The instructors ASSUME all students are from the area. When they give an assignment out of class at another location they do not give full directions as to where the event is. The instructors do NOT respond to emails from students, do NOT respond to blackboard, do NOT feel the student deserves any respect when the student is asking about their class information!!! All 5 of my classes instructors are like this. The VA doesn't know what they are doing. They ASSUME all students walking through their door is under GI Bill, when there is many other chapters other than 31, 33, 35.... even if the school requires you to take a class the VA will not submit that paperwork. It takes months for then to submit paperwork. While the student acquired late fees, and outstanding debt while waiting for the VA at UTEP to submit paperwork. The instructors only have to post grades twice a semester. If you think you are doing well and are actually failing the student will not know. As the instructors only post twice a semester and only if your account is paid to date. If you are waiting for UTEP VA to submit paperwork YOU THE STUDENT ARE SCREWED!!! If you drop a class before the deadline (because the instructors refuses to post or inform you of your grade) YOU THE STUDENT ARE SCREWED, because UTEP will give you a grade of W, you still have to pay for the class. Anyone still reading this, other Universities are not like this. UTEP is operating below a community college level. I have been to CTC (Jr college) as well as TAMU @ COLLEGE STATION (University)...