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It’s no surprise that a college degree gives you a better shot at being successful in life.
What’s not as commonly understood is that a college-educated population leads to huge advantages for cities and states like Texas. The more Texans with college degrees, the better positioned it will be for national leadership in economic development.
Why? College degrees drive social mobility, and the more socioeconomically secure people are, the more they tend to get involved in their communities. Data shows that degree holders are more civically minded, and more likely to do volunteer work, hold leadership roles in community organizations and vote.
The connection between strong universities and strong states runs deep. Schools like The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) are graduating more students at faster rates, fueling economic prosperity in our state.
Social mobility in Texas
Social mobility refers to a change in a person’s socio-economic situation, compared to their parents or throughout their own lifetime. It is connected to equality of opportunity: the extent to which someone has the same chances to do well in life regardless of the background of their parents or circumstances beyond their control.
Some colleges are more successful than others at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students. UTSA is becoming increasingly recognized for its work in doing just this, helping bright, young Texans throughout their educational journeys.
Among its accolades, UTSA is ranked:
- #33 in the nation among top performers for social mobility (U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, 2022)
- Top 5% in the nation for driving economic mobility (Third Way, 2022)
- Top 18% in the nation for longer term return on investment (Georgetown University Center on Education and The Workforce, 2022)
- #149 in the nation for social mobility, research and service (Washington Monthly, 2022)
Stats like these showcase UTSA’s commitment to providing life-altering opportunities for current and future generations of Texas students.
Lower-income San Antonio students
Social mobility begins by providing an affordable education that gives students the freedom to focus on their path to graduation.
UTSA is addressing financial needs through innovative programs such as Bold Promise. Bold Promise offers a high-quality, affordable education to incoming freshmen who come from low and middle-income Texas and San Antonio families. Covering 100% of tuition and mandatory fees for eight semesters, this initiative is making a substantial difference in the lives of students: nearly 77% of new Bold Promise students are Hispanic/Latino, and more than 46% are living in on-campus housing.
Highly skilled San Antonio workforce
UTSA students are largely staying in Texas after graduation, bringing their in-demand skills to the workforce and serving their local communities. In fact, of UTSA’s last three graduating classes, 91% of these young alumni have chosen to remain in the state.
Equally impactful is the fact that UTSA is graduating more students than ever before, and at faster rates. The time it takes to achieve a UTSA undergraduate degree is 4.3 years in 2022, compared to 5.3 years in 2009. During this same period, degrees awarded grew from 3,842 to 5,843 — a 65% increase.
With a degree in hand, students can focus their talents on improving their local communities:
- James Kirkendoll, a Bexar County Sheriff’s Office detention officer who recently earned a master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice, hopes to become a patrol officer, a role that would put him in an impactful, positive position within the community. It would also provide him the opportunity to be on the management side of the department.
- Guadalupe Veliz, who earned a doctorate degree in educational leadership last year, feels more prepared than ever to perform her duties as associate principal of Nathan Kallison Elementary School in San Antonio. She focused her dissertation on how immigrant parents receive information about school programs from educators.
- Kimberly Anderson, a military spouse who earned an undergraduate degree in public health has set out to apply meaningful change in the way that health and wellness services are provided to veterans in San Antonio.
Educational success translates into civic success. Universities like UTSA are providing the pathways that help Texans improve their station in life, while catapulting our state to even higher levels of economic prosperity.
