Special Populations

Varsity Athletes

To be in compliance with NCAA Division I eligibility requirements for athletic participation and/or athletically-related financial aid, a student-athlete must meet University and NCAA admission requirements and “progress toward degree” requirements in addition to the university’s grade point progress requirements stated under Scholastic Probation and Suspension:

1. Enrollment during each regular semester must not drop below 12 hours.
2. Academic Year Requirements consist of both credit hour and grade point average minimums for each term of enrollment.

Veterans

The Military and Veterans Success Center (MVSC) certifies veterans to receive educational benefits for attendance at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The MVSC is located on the UTRGV Edinburg Campus in the University Center, Rm. 113; Phone: 956-665-7934 and on the UTRGV Brownsville Campus at Main, Rm. 1.000; Phone: 956-882-8980 (Additional information about MVSC is on p. 116). Students receiving VA educational benefits must make progress toward a degree as specified in this catalog under Satisfactory Progress and Scholastic Probation and Suspension (see p. 79). Students receiving educational benefits must report any changes made to their schedule to the Military and Veterans Success Center. Students who do not report changes in their schedule may be subject to repayment by the Veterans Administration.

Military Absence

Under certain circumstances, a student who is required to participate in active military service is excused from scheduled classes or other required activities and will be allowed to complete an assignment and/or exam within a reasonable time after the absence. The excused absence is permitted only if the student will not miss more than 25% of the total number of class meetings or the contact hour equivalent (not including the final examination period) for the specific course or courses in which the student is enrolled at the beginning of the period of active military service. Students on financial aid are encouraged to consult with the Office of Financial Aid to discuss any impacts of any coursework that may not be completed, as well as the potential impacts of any dropped classes should the student need to consider dropping or withdrawing from classes.

Readmission guidelines for a student who withdraws to perform active military services are as follows. These guidelines apply to a student who withdraws from an institution of higher education to perform active military service as a member of the U.S. armed forces or the Texas National Guard, except that this section does not apply to a student who withdraws from an institution solely to perform one or more training exercises as a member of the Texas National Guard. For any academic term that begins after the date a student is released from active military service but no later than the first anniversary of that date, the institution of higher education from which the student withdrew shall admit the student, without requiring re-application or charging a fee for readmission, if the student is otherwise eligible to register for classes at the institution. On readmission of the student under this subsection, UTRGV shall:

1. Provide the student any financial assistance previously provided by the institution to the student before the student’s withdrawal if the student meets current eligibility requirements for the assistance, other than any requirement directly affected by the student’s service, such as continuous enrollment or another similar training requirement.
2. Allow the student the same academic status that the student had before the student’s withdrawal including any course credit awarded to the student by the institution.

UTRGV requires reasonable proof from a student of the fact and duration of the student’s active military absence.

In accordance with Education Code Section 51.3042, eligible former members of the armed forces admitted as an undergraduate student or readmitted as an undergraduate student (after having withdrawn to perform military service) will be given course credit:

1. For all physical education courses The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley requires for an undergraduate degree and
2. For additional credit hours, not to exceed 12, to satisfy any elective course requirements for the student’s degree program for courses outside the student’s major or minor.

To be eligible, a veteran must have graduated from an accredited public or private high school or a high school operated by the U.S. Department of Defense, and be honorably discharged from the U.S. armed forces after completing two years of service or discharged because of disability. To receive credit, a DD-214 verifying eligibility must be provided to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley follows the guidelines established by the American Council on Education’s Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the armed services to assess potential transferability of Military Occupational Specialties.

Acceptable forms of documentation include:

• AARTS Transcript (Army ACE Registry Transcript)
• CCAF Transcript (Community College of the Air Force transcript)
• SMART Transcript (Sailor/Marine ACE Registry Transcript)
• Form DD-214 (Report of Separation)
• Form DD-295 (Application for the Evaluation of Learning Experience During Military Service)

To be considered official, any of the credentials above (except Form DD-214) must be sent to The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley directly from the issuing agency. Students/applicants may submit an original DD-214; a certified copy will be made for office use and the original returned.

Credentials (except form DD-214) should be sent to:

Unlike college or high school transcripts, submission of military credentials for potential transfer credit is optional and is neither required for undergraduate admission nor subject to admission deadlines. But any credit awarded counts toward admissibility, so official documents should arrive as early as possible.

Army ROTC – Department of Military Science

The Army maintains a senior division of the ROTC at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley: four-, three- and two-year programs are available to interested students, male and female, graduate and undergraduate.

Army ROTC has unlimited two- and three-year tuition, books and fees scholarships for students with a 2.5 GPA or better who can pass fitness and background screening requirements. These scholarships are valued at about $3,000 per or a living stipend of about $2,800 per semester.

The four-year program consists of the basic course (freshman and sophomore) and the advanced course (junior and senior). Advanced instruction is oriented toward general military science and includes a four-week summer camp, usually at the end of the junior year or first year of graduate school.

Students who have successfully completed four years of Junior ROTC in high school may, at the discretion of the professor of military science, be given placement credit for two years of the basic course regardless of academic classification. Veterans also may be given advanced placement for the basic course, at the discretion of the professor.

Successful students are, upon graduation, commissioned as second lieutenants in the Active Army, the U.S. Army Reserve or U.S. Army National Guard. Students may elect to serve as reserve officers on active duty for an initial commitment period of three years or they may elect to serve for as little as three months of basic officer schooling followed by an extended tour with a Reserve or National Guard Unit.

During the course of instruction, the Army furnishes all required uniforms and military textbooks. Advanced course contracted students receive a tax-free monetary allowance of either $450 or $500 per month for each month of the academic year (10 months of each year).

A special two-year program is available for full-time students who have a minimum of two years remaining on a degree plan and who have not had prior military training or ROTC. This program consists of an intensified course of instruction in military subjects that will qualify the student for the advanced course. The course of instruction is normally taken in the summer between the sophomore and junior years. Students attend a four-week Basic Camp at Fort Knox, KY, and receive transportation allowance to and from the camp, uniforms, room and board and are paid approximately $750 for the period. No military obligation is incurred by attendance at this camp.

Application for the two-year program must be completed during the spring semester so that attendance at Basic Camp may be arranged. To learn more, visit the Department of Military Science, Lamar Building B, Rm. 103, or call 956-665-3601.