EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — As University of Texas at El Paso students prepare to return to class for the fall semester, some say they are already facing challenges with parking and financial aid.
Parking permits for the 2025–26 school year went on sale Aug. 12. Students told KTSM that permits for popular lots appeared to sell out quickly, and even with a permit, finding a space can still be a struggle.
Silver permits cost $300, Blue permits $225 and Remote Green permits $165 for the year, according to UTEP Parking and Transportation Services. Some students also said they have noticed costs increasing compared to past years.
“It ran out out pretty quick. I remember when I got in, there was a few permits left, and then the prices are, like, overrated, expensive,” a student said.
In addition to parking, many students lined up at the Mike Loya Academic Services Building this week to pick up financial aid refunds. Normally issued through direct deposit, the university switched to paper checks after phishing scams earlier this year targeted students’ accounts.
“There are evil people out there who are targeting students, not just here, but nationwide, and trying to trick them into changing their bank account information so that they can steal their financial aid. These people are evil,” UTEP President Heather Wilson.
Wilson said the university has been working with its admissions, financial aid and information technology offices “to try to make sure that students get what is theirs and that these crooks don’t steal from them.”
UTEP says the paper check process is temporary while students update and verify their direct deposit information. Refund pickup continues from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 at the Mike Loya building.
The fall semester at UTEP officially begins Monday, Aug. 25.
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