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The community-wide strategic plan called Future Ready Bexar County Plan has a north star goal to increase postsecondary or credential program enrollment in our county from 50% to 70% by 2030. To accomplish this goal, innovative partnerships must be created between our more than 90 partners focused specifically on getting more of our community’s young people to think of going to college or trade schools.
After months of strategic discussion facilitated by UP Partnership, Future Ready Bexar County partners UTSA and San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) announced one of these innovative projects — a co-designed direct admission pathway that aims to remove barriers for SAISD students who want to pursue a college degree at UTSA.
“My parents were really glad to know that I got into UTSA, especially so early on, it gave them a sense of security for my future,” said Yasmin Perez, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School. “The direct admissions program made college more accessible to me and I am excited to continue my studies at UTSA to become that legacy I want to leave in my community.”
As it stands, the program offers SAISD students who are in the top 25% of their class direct admission to UTSA as early as the spring semester of their junior year, helping them feel confident that they have a top-quality postsecondary institution secured once they graduate from high school. The first cohort of students will start on their collegiate journey this upcoming fall semester.
“The opportunity to go to college is so important and life-changing. Our partnership with SAISD will help students in their junior year simplify the admissions process so they can focus more on college preparation and completion,” said UP Partnership Board member and UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “A college degree opens many doors to future possibilities and has an incredible return on investment.”
UTSA produces more than 7,000 graduates each year. Remarkably, 88% of UTSA alumni opt to stay in Texas, where they are eagerly sought after by employers in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, according to UTSA.
In addition to joining UTSA’s vast alumni network, many SAISD’s students enrolling at UTSA will be eligible for the UTSA Bold Program, which covers 100% of tuition and mandatory fees for students from families with a household income less than $70,000 per year. With nearly 75% of SAISD’s students coming from economically disadvantaged families, this financial aid will eliminate one of the biggest barriers those students face in earning a postsecondary degree.
“This is one of the strategic partnerships we are proud to have as we continue to grow our postsecondary enrollment numbers past our pre-pandemic rates,” said Dustin Nieto, coordinator for postsecondary services at SAISD.
Of the first cohort, who are currently seniors in high school, more than 150 students have been admitted at UTSA as of the date of publication.
“When I had that message last year about direct admission to UTSA, I started crying,” said Angie Martinez, a senior at Brackenridge High School. “It was the first school that accepted me. UTSA was a first choice. I wanted to be near home and it’s such a good school.”
UTSA and SAISD began discussing the concept of a direct admissions program in August 2022, but it was through UP Partnership’s Equitable Enrollment Collaborative (EEC) that the two institutions had the opportunity to fully conceptualize, discuss and co-design the direct admissions program as a lead driver of the Future Ready Bexar County Plan.
More than 90 cross-sector partners have signed onto the plan and have made actionable commitments to scale Healing, Access and Voice — the must HAVEs for equity among Bexar County’s young people.
“As the driver of the Future Ready Bexar County Plan, we consistently challenge our institutional partners to think differently about how they work in order to set our community’s young people up for a better future,” said Briana Hagelgans, Ed.D., UP Partnership’s Director of K12 and Postsecondary.
Postsecondary partners are one part of “Community Ready Makers” working to ensure Bexar County’s youth success, which also includes parents, mentors and youth development workers.
We would like to hear your stories to shine a light on your heroic efforts removing barriers so young people can focus on their postsecondary journey. You can do so by clicking here and filling out the contact form, tagging @uppartnershipsa or using #FutureReadySA on social media.
