SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 — The value of a college education can be measured in a variety of ways, but two of the most important factors are time and money. UTSA is making sure students achieve those marks in an effort raise the value of the university’s degrees.
“At UTSA, we take pride in our efforts to help our students graduate on time while minimizing their debt, reflecting our deep commitment to both affordability and academic success,” said Heather Shipley, UTSA provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
One key approach, Shipley says, is encouraging students to take 15 credit hours each semester. As a result, UTSA students are graduating in 4.4 years as of the 2022-23 academic year, as opposed to graduating in 5.2 years in the 2013-14 academic year.
According to institutional data, students who take 15 credit hours or more a semester graduate faster and with a higher GPA. Most university degree programs require 120 hours, which is attainable in 4 years while taking 15 hours each semester.
“This approach not only helps them minimize educational costs, but it allows them to enter the workforce earlier, giving them a head start on building successful careers,” Shipley said.
Recent UTSA undergraduates are averaging nearly $5,200 less in education-related loan debt than their peers a decade ago. In 2022-23, 43% of UTSA students, like Anna Almaraz ’23, graduate without any education-related debt thanks to scholarships and financial assistance.
“College needed to be paid for,” Almaraz said. “If college was not paid for, it was going to be tough and it was going to have to come out of my own pocket.”
Almaraz grew up in San Antonio helping her mother clean houses to support her family. She says her entrepreneurial spirit grew and inspired her to launch her own marketing business while in high school — an effort to help her get closer to her dreams, but also a financial necessity.
“I've always worked multiple jobs because I had to pay for everything,” she said. “My textbooks, my parking and all of that good stuff.”
Almaraz earned the Najim Scholars experiential learning scholarship, the Francisca Villarreal scholarship and others while at UTSA. She says many of her scholarships were merit-based and included GPA and 15 credit hour requirements.
In four years, this first-generation graduate earned her B.B.A. in Marketing. She crossed the stage in the spring of 2023.
Although she had job opportunities upon graduation, Almaraz was encouraged by Carlos Alvarez College of Business Dean Jonathon Halbesleben and his staff to elevate those opportunities by applying to the Texas Business Hall of Fame. Anna applied and won the Harvey E. Najim Future Texas Business Legend Award, providing her with a life-changing scholarship and invaluable career opportunities to work alongside community donors, while pursuing her M.B.A. at UTSA debt-free.
“UTSA, the counselors, everyone really helped me out,” she said. “It was a huge scholarship and was sponsored by Harvey Najim, one of our biggest donors here at UTSA.”
This is just one of many examples of how the university’s targeted financial assistance, comprehensive support programs and a focused effort to streamline the path to graduation is helping alleviate the debt burden many college graduates face.
“UTSA is committed to its mission to provide a high-quality, affordable education that transforms lives and opens doors to new opportunities.” Shipley said. “This proactive approach both accelerates their career trajectories and boosts their lifetime earning potential, emphasizing the value of a UTSA degree.”
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Join the conversation around the current status of voting rights in Texas at this flagship event produced by the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project in honor of their 50th anniversary.
Downtown CampusThere are many citation managers. Which one is right for you? This workshop will explain what a citation manager is and how it can help you organize your citations, insert citations as you write your paper, and generate your bibliography. If you plan to attend one of our hands-on Endnote®, Zotero®, or BibTeX® / LaTex® workshops, we recommend that you start with this overview.
Virtual EventJoin us for a recital featuring a variety of Hispanic music from Spain and Latin America. The evening’s entertainment will include pieces by UTSA faculty, the UTSA Mariachi Los Paisanos, and special guest artists including the director of Texas A&M International University's Mariachi Internacional.
UTSA Recital HallJoin Dr. Rachel Yvonne Cruz, Assistant Professor of Mexican American Studies, for an interactive discussion on how music can challenge patriarchy, sexism, and colonialism through a guided discussion and live acoustic performance.
Assembly Room, 4th Floor (4.04.22), John Peace Library, Main CampusIn this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to setup an EndNote library, save references and PDFs, and automatically create and edit a bibliography. Attendees are encouraged, but not required, to have EndNote already installed on a personal computer.
Virtual EventAre you required to use LaTeX for writing your research papers? This workshop is divided into two parts: an introduction to Zotero, a citation management tool, and a demonstration of the features of Overleaf, a free online LaTeX editor.
Virtual EventCome listen to the UTSA Jazz Ensemble at a free event.
UTSA Recital HallThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.