In efforts to create more “clear and predictable” pathways toward a higher education degree, St. Mary’s University President Winston Erevelles signed an agreement securing entry into the St. Mary’s School of Law for Texas Lutheran University students.

The three-year agreement, signed on Sept. 4, secures seats for qualifying students who are on track to earn a bachelor’s degree, as well as those who completed a bachelor’s within three years of applying. 

“[We are] creating a pipeline for [Texas Lutheran] students to come in and get a law education at St. Mary’s and then practice law in our city and our region,” Erevelles said. “What you’re seeing is like-minded institutions looking at ways to collaborate because at the end of the day, we all serve our student body.”

Texas Lutheran, located in Seguin, is a private evangelical university that serves about 1,400 students and offers more than 30 majors and eight graduate programs. 

The agreement calls for Texas Lutheran to conduct a vetting process of students who will earn guaranteed admission to St. Mary’s Juris Doctor, or J.D., program as full-time, in-person students. 

Rigor in the acceptance process will not be compromised in this process, Erevelles said. Part of the advising and vetting process will include student character reviews, faculty consultations and endorsements for students to be considered for the program.

This is St. Mary’s third agreement of its kind, with one signed in March with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for the J.D. online program, and one signed in 2023 with Chaminade University of Honolulu.

This fall, the St. Mary’s School of Law welcomed 378 first-year, in-person students, which constituted a 29% acceptance rate. The university started the 2026-27 academic year with an overall enrollment of 3,492 students. 

In 2027, St. Mary’s University will celebrate its 175th anniversary, and its law school will ring in its 100th anniversary. This will coincide with the first cohort of Texas Lutheran students transferring to San Antonio through this new pathway.

“Our new agreement with St. Mary’s Law provides a significant opportunity for our students as they consider their post-graduate options,” said Texas Lutheran President Debbie Cottrell in a statement. “It also signals the kind of partnership that TLU values and appreciates, as we join with a nearby institution with a long history of offering high-quality law education.” 

These types of partnerships in which universities seek to leverage each other’s strengths are essential, Erevelles said. At a time when recruiters are expanding their geographic footprint to weather the impact of a declining college-age population, he said these predictable and clear pathways could be deciding factors for students considering their options. 

“We happen to be fortunate, at least for now — in the Southwest and the South and Southeast in general — that demographics are working in our favor,” Erevelles said. “We still have that group that is interested in post-secondary education. Now, that’s not something you take lightly because everybody is competing for that same group of students.”

The proximity between the St. Mary’s and Texas Lutheran campuses, located about 40 miles apart, allowed for this agreement to be more flexible with the number of students that can be admitted into the in-person program.

The agreement with UTRGV reserves 5 seats in the smaller and even more competitive online program, which has an acceptance rate of 4% of the total applicants. 

The agreement with Texas Lutheran doesn’t set a specific number of spots. But Erevelles said officials will evaluate the flow of students over the course of the first three years and adjust if needed.

William O’Brochta, chair of political science at Texas Lutheran who will serve as the pre-law advisor, said many of his students who seek to earn a law degree wish to do so in the San Antonio and Austin areas.

“St. Mary’s Law is among the best-connected programs in this region, providing excellent networking and career development opportunities,” O’Brochta said in a statement. “TLU graduates have a long history of academic and career success at St. Mary’s School of Law, and this articulation agreement builds on that success.” 

The San Antonio Report partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.