UTEP's flagship merit award—the UTEP Excellence Scholarship—provides $2,000–$8,000/year to top-25%-class high school seniors via a competitive application; up to 10 students per cohort can win the Presidential Scholarship, which covers full cost of attendance including on-campus housing.
Verified Jun 20268 days ago· COWORK
Merit tiers61 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Rules that bite at UTEP
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from UTEP's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalUTEP Excellence Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for up to four years. To remain eligible, students must enroll full-time, maintain a 3.0 GPA, earn 30 credits each year, and participate in service activities at UTEP. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
capHard $20,700 cost-of-attendance ceiling
Institutional aid at UTEP cannot push the package past $20,700. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.
Common merit-aid mistakes at UTEP
The Paydirt Promise covers 100% of tuition and fees only — not housing, food, books, transportation, or other living costs. The full 2026-27 COA for a TX-resident student living with family is $20,700, of which only the $8,800 tuition-and-fees component is covered.
The Excellence Scholarship requires a separate competitive application (utep.edu/excellence), essay responses, and committee review. It is not awarded automatically. SAT/ACT scores are neither required nor considered — but the application still requires submission and is scored on leadership, service, essays, GPA, and class rank.
Receiving any UTEP scholarship explicitly disqualifies a student from the Miner Success Grant. Students choosing the Excellence Scholarship or a donor scholarship through ScholarMine lose Miner Success Grant eligibility.
The Excellence Scholarship application opens October 1 and closes January 31 before high school graduation. Late applications are not accepted. The Presidential Scholarship (full COA) is selected from within this same pool — there is no separate application.
UTEP's financial aid page for transfer students describes only the Texas Transfer Grant (a state grant, up to $5,394/semester, need-based, requires associate degree within 12 months). No separate UTEP-funded transfer merit scholarship is documented on the UTEP website.
Renewal requires three conditions simultaneously: full-time enrollment, a 3.0 GPA, earning 30 credits each year, and participating in service activities at UTEP. Failing any one condition can result in losing the scholarship.
Most UTEP scholarships require enrollment in 15 credit hours. The Paydirt Promise and TEXAS Grant require at least 9 credits. The Miner Success Grant requires 12 credits. Enrolling part-time can reduce or eliminate these awards.
Outside scholarships reduce calculated financial need and can trigger displacement of grants or loans. UTEP's policy page references financial aid displacement and links to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board displacement advisory. The exact displacement order (loan-first vs. grant-first) is not spelled out on publicly accessible pages.
The Paydirt Promise is need-based (income ≤$100,000) and residency-gated (Texas residents only). It is not contingent on GPA or test scores beyond satisfactory academic progress for renewal.
Honors Program membership provides access to exclusive UHP scholarships (like the Houston Endowment awards) but membership itself does not come with a guaranteed scholarship. There is also an income-needs filter — Miner Success Grant requires NOT receiving a UTEP scholarship, so some Honors-linked scholarship recipients lose MSG eligibility.
Who this school is for
High school seniors in the top 25% of their junior class who can submit a competitive application by January 31; Texas-resident students with family income ≤$100,000 seeking tuition/fee coverage through the Paydirt Promise; transfer students with a 2.5+ GPA from Texas public colleges; and continuing undergraduates with 3.5+ GPA seeking Honors Program scholarship access.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $20,700 for 2026-2027. TX resident, living with family, full-time undergraduate. Other 2026-27 COA profiles: TX resident living on own $30,700; TX resident on campus $26,400; non-resident living with family $33,900; non-resident living on own $43,900; non-resident on campus $39,600. Tuition and fees component alone (TX resident full-time) = $8,800. Source
Institutional merit aid tiers
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
$2,000–$8,000 per year
UTEP Excellence Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Top 25% of junior class (GPA and class rank are part of scoring; no minimum GPA floor stated beyond ranking)
SAT
Not required nor considered
ACT
Not required nor considered
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Application required at utep.edu/excellence. Opens October 1 each year; deadline January 31 before high school graduation. Reviewed by committee of UTEP faculty, staff, and alumni on academic excellence, leadership, and service. State residents, international, and out-of-state students welcome.
Renewal terms
Renewable for up to four years. To remain eligible, students must enroll full-time, maintain a 3.0 GPA, earn 30 credits each year, and participate in service activities at UTEP.
Notes
SAT and ACT scores are explicitly not required nor considered. Award amount within the $2,000–$8,000 range is not broken into a published grid; exact amount per recipient is not stated on the page. Most scholarships require enrollment in 15 credit hours per the awards-calculated page.
Full cost of attendance including o…Full cost of attendance including on-campus housing
Presidential Scholarship (top tier of UTEP Excellence Scholarship)
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Top 25% of junior class (same as Excellence Scholarship; selection from top applicants in the cohort)
SAT
Not required nor considered
ACT
Not required nor considered
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Selected from the top 10 applicants within each Excellence Scholarship cohort. Application is the same as the Excellence Scholarship (utep.edu/excellence, deadline January 31). No separate application.
Renewal terms
Same renewal terms as Excellence Scholarship (full-time enrollment, 3.0 GPA, 30 credits/year, service activities). Duration not separately stated beyond the up-to-four-years Excellence Scholarship framework.
Notes
Up to ten recipients per cohort. Covers full COA including on-campus housing — not just tuition/fees. This is the most competitive tier within the Excellence Scholarship competition.
100% of tuition and fees…100% of tuition and fees (TX resident, family income ≤$100,000)
Paydirt Promise
AutomaticRenewable
GPA
SAP required to continue (specific GPA floor not published on the Paydirt Promise page; SAP policy linked separately)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Be a Texas resident pursuing first bachelor's degree. Family income of $100,000 or less. Submit FAFSA or TASFA and all required documents. Enroll in minimum 9 credits each fall and spring. All eligible students who complete the FAFSA or TASFA are automatically considered — no separate scholarship application required.
Renewal terms
Continuing students must make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) and earn 21 credits each academic year (summer enrollment is not required but counts). Minimum enrollment of 9 credits each fall and spring.
Notes
Need-based program (income gate: ≤$100,000). Classified as automatic because any eligible student who files FAFSA/TASFA is automatically considered — no merit application. However, it is need-tested, so 'automaticOnStats' reflects the automatic consideration structure. Covers tuition and fees only (not full COA). If part of tuition is paid by exemption, military benefits, or other tuition-specific awards, UTEP only covers the difference. Paydirt Promise students with highest need who meet certain requirements may also qualify for the Miner Success Grant.
Must be eligible for Paydirt Promise; receiving maximum Pell Grant; not receiving TEXAS Grant; not receiving a UTEP scholarship; attending full-time in fall and spring. Apply by submitting FAFSA or TASFA as early as possible.
Renewal terms
Must remain eligible for Paydirt Promise; must receive maximum Pell Grant; must not receive a TEXAS Grant or a UTEP scholarship; must attend full-time in fall and spring. Funding is limited.
Notes
Covers costs beyond tuition/fees (books, food, housing, transportation). Explicitly states that receiving a UTEP scholarship makes a student ineligible — this is a critical anti-stacking rule. Amount per award not published on the page.
Texas Transfer Grant (state-portable, documented at UTEP)
Application
GPA
Minimum 2.5 GPA
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Texas resident. Transfer to UTEP within 12 months of earning associate degree from a public junior college, state college, or technical institute. Must complete core curriculum. Demonstrate financial need. Register full-time. Registered with Selective Service or exempt.
Notes
This is a Texas state grant (not UTEP institutional funds) but is documented on UTEP's official financial aid page for transfer students. Listed here because UTEP's own page documents it for transfer students.
3.5+ cumulative GPA required to be in UHP (Honors Program entry requirement)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Must be an active University Honors Program member. One student per college (7 colleges), remaining three selected competitively. Contact: Monica Martinez, UHP Program Manager.
Renewal terms
Students receiving funds may reapply for up to 4 cycles with an included student-written report each year on how the fund was spent. Up to 10 scholars per year.
Notes
Distributed as one student per each of the 7 colleges, plus 3 competitive selections = 10 scholars total per year. Part of the broader UHP scholarship ecosystem. Donor-funded via Houston Endowment.
UTEP uses a COA-cap displacement model. Scholarships and other gift aid reduce a student's calculated financial need. Receiving a UTEP scholarship explicitly disqualifies a student from the Miner Success Grant. The Paydirt Promise covers only the portion of tuition not already covered by exemptions, military benefits, or other tuition-specific awards. Total aid cannot exceed cost of attendance.
Per the 'How Are My Awards Calculated' page: 'Financial aid displacement is a reduction to your financial aid, most often to "make room" for a new scholarship or other type of gift aid. When you receive these awards, they cover part of your financial need and your cost of attendance, which can result in such a reduction.' The Miner Success Grant eligibility explicitly excludes students 'receiving a UTEP scholarship.' The Paydirt Promise page states: 'If part of your tuition is paid by an exemption, military benefits, or other tuition-specific awards, UTEP will only cover the difference.' Specific outside-scholarship displacement order (loan-first vs. grant-first) is not spelled out on publicly accessible pages — the advisory links to an external THECB policy document.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountAmount not published (supports professional development and leadership experiences)EligibilityJunior or senior active University Honors Program students. Each of the seven college-based honors programs determines specific support types aligned with career pathways.
Examples of eligible uses: certifications, conference presentations, leadership/mentoring programs, internship stipend supplements, professional texts, study abroad costs.
Amount$10,000 per scholarship (two awards)EligibilityUndergraduate UTEP student intending to attend graduate school the following fall. Age 17–22 (not yet 23 by October 1 in year of application). Minimum 3.7 GPA. Any nationality. Must complete undergraduate degree at UTEP no later than July of application year.
Established by the President of UTEP. Two awards per cycle. October deadline. See utep.edu/hawkinsscholars. Deadline and program details shown on the page reflect 2022 cycle — verify current-year parameters with the honors office.
AmountVaries by individual donor scholarshipEligibilityAdmitted UTEP students. Single application matches students with 300+ donor scholarships based on college, field of study, GPA, and other criteria. Apply October 1 each year at utep.edu/scholarmine.
Not a single award — it is a platform that surfaces many individual scholarships with varying eligibility criteria. Award amounts and specific requirements are not published in a searchable list on the financial aid website.
AmountPortion of $100,000 total pool; 18 awards for UTEP and EPCC students combinedEligibilityGraduating high school seniors with financial need, 2.7+ high school GPA, entering UTEP or EPCC Fall 2026.
Funded by McDonald's El Paso (external/foundation, not UTEP institutional funds). Documented on UTEP's financial aid scholarships page for the 2026 cycle. Application linked from UTEP's page.
What is the deadline to apply for the UTEP Excellence Scholarship?
January 31 before your high school graduation. The application opens October 1 each year at utep.edu/excellence.
Are SAT or ACT scores required for the UTEP Excellence Scholarship?
No. Per the UTEP scholarships page: 'SAT and ACT scores are not required nor considered.'
How much does the Presidential Scholarship cover?
The Presidential Scholarship covers the student's full cost of attendance, including on-campus housing. For 2026-27 the TX-resident on-campus COA is $26,400. Up to 10 students per cohort receive it.
Does the Paydirt Promise cover housing and food?
No. The Paydirt Promise covers 100% of tuition and fees only. It does not cover housing, food, books, transportation, or personal expenses.
Can I receive both a UTEP scholarship (e.g., Excellence Scholarship) and the Miner Success Grant?
No. The Miner Success Grant eligibility requires that the student is 'Not receiving a UTEP scholarship.' Accepting a UTEP scholarship eliminates Miner Success Grant eligibility.
Is there a separate transfer merit scholarship at UTEP?
No UTEP-funded transfer merit scholarship is documented on the financial aid website. Transfer students may qualify for the Texas Transfer Grant (a state grant, up to $5,394/semester) if they transfer within 12 months of an associate degree with a 2.5 GPA and financial need.
What GPA do I need to renew the UTEP Excellence Scholarship?
A 3.0 GPA, plus full-time enrollment, 30 credits earned per year, and participation in service activities at UTEP — all conditions must be met simultaneously.
What is the 2026-27 cost of attendance for a Texas-resident undergraduate?
It depends on living situation: $20,700 living with family, $30,700 living on your own, $26,400 living on campus. Tuition and fees alone are $8,800 for full-time enrollment.
How UTEP compares across our verified dataset
160 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
UTEP is in a recognizable cluster (160 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
UTEP is one of them. The cohort minority (82 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against UTEP’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
