University of Houston-Victoria

4 Year

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Now that Texas Governor Rick Perry has signed the bill that will allow the University of Houston-Victoria to admit underclassmen in the fall 2010, I’m eager to know more. Can you tell me when my daughter can apply?

A: UHV anticipates accepting underclassmen applications by October 2009. Admissions standards have been developed and posted on the UHV Web site at www.uhv.edu as soon as possible. The goal is to admit 150 freshmen and 40 sophomores the first year. Our classroom capacity is limited, so students should apply early.

UHV also will continue to offer classes for university juniors, seniors and graduate students. The university has more than 30 degree programs and concentrations available from four schools: Arts & Sciences, Business Administration, Education & Human Development, and Nursing. UHV also offers classes at the University of Houston System at Sugar Land and UHS at Cinco Ranch.

Q: What is UHV doing to prepare for the addition of freshmen on campus?

A: Members of the Downward Expansion Implementation Committee are looking at numerous areas on campus, including adding innovative new programs, to get ready for the first freshmen. Administrators are reviewing national data to determine the best environment for college freshmen to achieve high retention rates, grade-point averages and graduation percentages. To learn more about how UHV is preparing for underclassmen, please view the PowerPoint presentation available on this site. It can also be accessed from the UHV homepage (www.uhv.edu – click on Downward Expansion Information).

Q: I understand that the University of Houston-Victoria will soon offer a three-year bachelor’s degree for incoming freshmen in the fall of 2010. Is this degree the same quality as a traditional, four-year degree?

A: The freshmen who commit to UHV’s new Degree in Three program will take a minimum of 120 semester hours, the same number of hours students complete for a four-year bachelor’s degree. The difference is in the scheduling of courses. Students in the new program will take a combination of eight-week and 15-week sessions. Even though these students will graduate in three years, they will not have to take summer courses after their first year, and they still will have ample vacation time.

The Dn3 also will provide students with unique features such as study abroad options, hands-on work experiences for underclassmen, and group projects to examine the cultures and work of various professions. These experiences will add value to the degree and attract the interest of potential employers.

Q: Will students save money by being in the Dn3 program?

A: Students in the program will be able to lock in their tuition at about 10 percent above the standard credit-hour rate at the time of entry as long as they continue to meet certain grade requirements and progress toward their degrees. An incoming freshman could earn a bachelor’s degree for about $24,000 in tuition, based on expected 2010 rates.

Since these students will complete their bachelor’s degree in three years, they’ll be able to enter the job market a year sooner. This will give them another year of wages to their lifetime earnings. Students also will eliminate one year of college living expenses by getting their degree in three years. This will save about $12,000.

Q: Is Dn3 for all students?

A: This program is not for everyone. Some students may want to take their college courses at a slower pace, but there are many advantages of Dn3. Incoming freshmen who start the Dn3 program could move out of it if they decide it is not right for them. UHV will continue to offer strong four-year options.

Students can learn more about the program by contacting Tracey Fox, the senior recruiting coordinator in the UHV School of Arts & Sciences, at 361-570-4233 or foxt@uhv.edu

Q: Now that UHV is adding underclassmen, will you still accept transfer students?

A: Absolutely! The University of Houston-Victoria was started in 1973 as an upper-level institution to allow community college students access to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Even though we are becoming a destination university, UHV will still welcome many students from area community colleges.

In fact, we maintain special agreements with area community colleges to help ensure a seamless transfer to a UHV degree plan. For more information, students can check with advisers at their community college or UHV. Community colleges also will play a vital role in UHV’s future through various partnerships and cooperative agreements.

Q: After UHV adds freshmen and sophomores, will you still have online classes?

A: Yes, UHV has long been a leader in the world of online education. We began offering online classes in 1997 and offered our first all-online degree in 1999 at a time when many cities were first getting the internet.

We will continue to offer students the high accessibility and scheduling flexibility provided by internet classes. In fact, we are introducing even more entirely online degree programs this fall. As UHV expands, the number of online offerings will grow with our traditional face-to-face classes.

Q: What is the University of Houston-Victoria’s relationship with the University of Houston System at Sugar Land and the University of Houston System at Cinco Ranch?

A: Both of these teaching centers in Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch are managed by the University of Houston System, of which UHV is a part, through the Provosts’ Council. This council is made up of the provosts from each UHS university (UHV, UH, UH-Clear Lake and UH-Downtown).

The academic programs offered at UHS at Sugar Land and UHS at Cinco Ranch area each assigned to the leadership of one of the four system universities. For example, UHV is the only university to offer nursing degrees at both teaching centers and the popular Master of Business Administration program. In fact, 65 percent of all the students enrolled at Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch are taking classes offered by UHV.

UHV’s success in Fort Bend County has allowed the university to invest in the Victoria campus location by expanding the number of programs offered face to face, through Interactive Television and online.

It also has meant the university could pursue admitting freshmen and sophomores to the Victoria campus, which we will do for the first time in the fall of 2010, pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. SACS currently accredits UHV and most other major universities in Texas.

Identifying where students attend classes is challenging because most of our students take a combination of face-to-face, ITV and online class offered by a professor teaching in a classroom in Cinco Ranch and then take an online class taught by a professor who lives in Sugar Land.

Of UHV’s 3,260 students taking classes through the three locations during the spring semester, approximately half of them were from the Victoria region and considered UHV in Victoria as their primary campus. All UHV students, no matter what they identify as their primary campus, are admitted to the university and receive most student services through the Victoria campus.

Q: When UHV adds freshmen and sophomores, what will happen to its programs at UHS at Sugar Land and UHS at Cinco Ranch?

A: We will continue to expand the number of programs offered at both teaching centers to better meet the needs of Fort Bend residents. Freshmen-and sophomore-level classes will be available in Victoria, which will become a destination university offering housing, dining and all the student services that go along with a traditional university setting.