Schreiner University, a small Presbyterian university located in Kerrville, is the first private institution to align with Alamo Colleges District’s Promise to Promise program agreeing to waive tuition and fees for qualifying transfer students.
Since 2019, more than 30,000 San Antonio students have participated in the Alamo Promise program, which allowed high school graduates to attend any of the five Alamo Colleges — San Antonio College, St. Philip’s College, Palo Alto College, Northwest Vista College and Northeast Lakeview College — tuition free for up to three consecutive years.
The program uses what they call a “last dollar” approach, meaning they cover the remaining cost of tuition and fees that goes uncovered by the student’s financial aid, grants or scholarships.
This latest agreement comes as an expansion of the Alamo Colleges Promise to Promise program, which is meant to create a pipeline for students to continue their education tuition free at area universities. The district partnered with public institutions the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2022 and Texas A&M University- San Antonio in 2024.
“With Schreiner University now alongside UT San Antonio and Texas A&M San Antonio, we are expanding regional momentum around our moonshot and demonstrating what’s possible when institutions align across access and across opportunity,” said Alamo Colleges Chancellor Mike Flores.
To qualify students must be Texas residents, in good academic standing and have earned an associate degree. Their family household income must also be at or under $70,000 per year and must be eligible for state or federal financial aid.
Through this partnership students may earn four consecutive fall and spring semesters of free tuition if they maintain full-time enrollment during spring and fall semesters, continue to apply for financial aid and maintain a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average at Schreiner.
Danielle Chavarria, 20, graduated from Clark High School and enrolled at St. Philip’s College as a Promise student. There she earned her associate degree in science a prerequisite to enter a nursing program. She became interested in the bachelor of science degree in nursing at Schreiner University, but said the cost of about $40,000 was not realistic for her and her family.
“After graduating, I received offers but the cost of private university just fell out of reach,” Chavarria said.
She later got a call from St. Philip’s staff letting her know that she would become the first to qualify in the Promise to Promise program between Alamo Colleges and Shreiner.
“I was in shock… It was a huge relief because I felt like my [prayers] were being answered,” she added. “It changes what’s possible for my family and for other students just like me.”
Through the Promise to Promise agreement with UT San Antonio, 288 students have transferred from Alamo Colleges and saved about $3 million in tuition and fees, Flores said. While this is the first partnership with a private institution, the chancellor added he hopes it serves as a case study for others to join.
Ideally, a partnering institution is willing to invest resources to ensure students pay little to no tuition after financial aid awards or scholarships, but they also have to make sure that their programs align with the credits earned by the students across the Alamo Colleges.
“[It involves] ensuring that there are career degrees and career pathways for students,” Flores said. “That whatever we offer at the Alamo Colleges is going to be able to seamlessly transfer to the private university.”
Schreiner University is a different institution altogether, located about an hour away from San Antonio. The university hit its all-time-high enrollment in 2025 of 1,470 students, said Russell Frohardt, provost and vice president for academic affairs.
About 60% of all students are varsity athletes, Frohardt added, and they attract mostly those seeking smaller class sizes and a more traditional college experience. The average annual tuition cost of the university is $20,400, according to federal data.
Under the agreement, Alamo Colleges staff will help identify potential transfer students for Schreiner University, like Chavarria. Application fees will be waived for students who voice an intent to transfer through the program, and must enroll the first spring or fall semester after their graduation from Alamo Colleges.
Frohardt, said he was exposed to the promise program during his time working as the dean of arts and sciences at Northwest Vista College in 2016. Last year, he transitioned to Schreiner University as Provost and began looking into making this new partnership a reality.
“I saw the benefits of the promise [program],” Frohardt said. “I know finances are a big part of the decisions that people make. I have a freshman in college. So, we just wanted to remove those barriers.”
The San Antonio Report partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.
