First-Year University Requirement

Enrollment in UNIV 1301 or UNIV 1101

As part of UTRGV’s retention and graduation initiatives, entering freshmen and transfer students with fewer than 24 credit hours of college coursework will enroll in either the UNIV 1301  or the UNIV 1101 during the first year as follows:

  • Mandatory Status: Entering Freshmen (EF) who are TSI deficient with fewer than 24 hours or TSI complete with 0 credit hours of college coursework and a high school (HS) class rank below the top 50% will enroll in UNIV 1301 during the fall semester of their first year at UTRGV.
  • Vaquero's Innovator's Program (VIP) Status: A number of factors are utilized to determine VIP student status, including but not limited to entering Freshmen (EF) who are TSI deficient with 0 credit hours of college coursework or have not declared a major, will enroll in Vaquero's Innovator Program during the fall semester of their first year at UTRGV.
  • Provisional Status: Entering Freshmen (EF) will not be required to enroll in UNIV 1301 during their first full term (fall for Fall EFs and spring for Spring EFs) if they have 24 hours or more credit hours of college coursework.
  • Continued Provisional Status: Provisional status will be evaluated after the completion of the first full term (fall or spring). A student who earns 12+ credit hours and a 2.25 GPA during the first full term will not need to take UNIV 1301 during the next full term. Students who do not complete 12 credit hours and a 2.25 GPA during their first full term will need to enroll in the course during the next full term (or summer term) and/or before the end of the first year of enrollment.
  • Waiver: All students with Provisional Status will be re-evaluated at the end of the second full term. A student who has earned 24 credit hours and a 2.25 total GPA during the first two full terms will not need to take UNIV 1301.
  • Part-Time Students: The same criteria will apply to part-time students, with the following exception:
    • The student must earn the same number of credit hours as attempted, rather than 12 credit hours required of full-time students.

Enrollment in the UNIV 1301 course is open to all undergraduate students. Students may choose to take the course at their discretion, even when they are not required to do so. Please contact University College.