The University of Texas at El Paso, or UTEP, is part of the University of Texas System. It lies on the eastern bank of the Rio Grande, in El Paso, Texas. Founded in 1913 as the Texas College of Mines, a mineshaft still exists on the mountainous, desert campus. It is composed of buildings of Bhutanese architecture, with massive sloping walls and overhanging roofs. Although the population of the campus was 99% white, in 1966, basketball coach Don Haskins thrilled portions of the nation by winning an NCAA National Championship with mostly African-American players, including 3 guards, thus breaking an unspoken barrier. By 1967, the Board of Regents authorized that the name of the college be changed from Texas Western College to its present name. In 2004, the now famous 1966 NCAA win is being made into a major motion picture name Glory Road, which is set to release in 2005.

Today, the institution is devoted to educating the diverse population which inhabits this isolated part of the nation.