Hispanic Student Admissions & Financial Support
Under UTSA’s Strategic Enrollment Plan, the university has enhanced efforts to ensure Hispanic/Latino students receive the extra support they may need.
This includes support for applying for admission and seeking financial aid, as their needs may differ from the general student population and many come from first-generation families. These efforts are resulting in steady gains.
UTSA's Hispanic and Latino Student Application and Admissions
Since 2015
FRESHMEN
12%
Increase in applications
14%
Increase in admissions
TRANSFER
22%
Increase in applications
22%
Increase in admissions
Hispanic Student Admissions
UTSA regularly offers admissions sessions and financial aid workshops in Spanish. These sessions help Spanish-speaking families make informed decisions about the college application process, financial aid awards, and college costs. Contact UTSA One Stop for more information.
Supporting Hispanic/Latino Students Financially
With close to 70% of UTSA’s students applying for some form of financial aid including grants, scholarships, work-study and federal student loans, UTSA proactively supports Hispanic/Latino students and the overall population with need-based financial aid.
Since 2015-2016, UTSA has experienced a 23.8% increase in institutional and state grants awarded to Hispanic/Latino students.
In that same time frame, 66.8% of Hispanic students received some form of grants at UTSA including the limited Texas Grant, which includes need and merit components and the UTSA Grant, which is also awarded based on need with a priority for students in the top 25% of their class.
Forty to 44% of all Distinguished Presidential Scholarship (DPS) recipients are Hispanic/Latino. In the 2019-2020 award year, 1,074 students received the DPS scholarship including 442 Latino students.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
While the following programs and scholarships are not exclusive to Hispanic students, they are intended to help make a UTSA education possible for those who have traditionally been underrepresented in higher education.
UTSA Bold Promise
UTSA’s groundbreaking tuition program providing a high-quality, affordable education to incoming freshmen who come from middle and low-income Texas families. Qualifying students will have 100% of their tuition and fees covered for four years.
Westside Scholarship
The newly established Westside Scholarship Fund will help students from San Antonio’s Westside neighborhoods pursue a college degree at UTSA. This scholarship is part of a larger effort to create pathways for educational excellence through UTSA’s Presidential Initiative on Westside Community Partnerships.
Presidential Inclusive Excellence Scholarship
The President’s Inclusive Excellence scholarship recognizes students who have a passion for diversity, inclusion, social justice and have demonstrated their ability to improve campus culture. Scholarship recipients will engage in activities adding to their skills and abilities to further contribute to the campus community on topics related to inclusive excellence.
The Carlos and Malu Alvarez ACE Scholarship
The Access College and Excel Scholar Program is designed to help make university education more accessible to students from high schools in disadvantaged areas of San Antonio. Selection of scholars is through the program process.
Dr. Arcadia Lopez Endowed Scholarship
This scholarship is for students attending UTSA who are fluent, or studying to become fluent, in the Spanish language for the specific purpose of assisting such students in their pursuit of education and training in the bilingual education field, with an emphasis on Spanish/English.
The Albar and Englantina Pena Memorial Scholarship Fund
Scholarship for students actively pursuing certification as a Bilingual Education Teacher at the undergraduate level or a graduate degree in Bicultural-Bilingual Studies with a concentration in Bilingual Teacher Education or Bicultural Studies.
Doña Agripina de Urdaneta Endowed Scholarship in Anthropology
Recipient must be an undergraduate student pursuing an Anthropology degree. Preference is given to first-generation students who are residents of South Texas.
San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Scholarship
Scholarship support to students who have declared a major in the College of Business and who have completed at least 80 hours. Preference is given to first-generation students.
The Henry Romo Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Scholarship is open to first time, transfer or current students with preference given to the first-generation students. Special consideration is given to graduates of Fox Tech High School.
Jeffrey S. Peterson Endowed Honors Scholarship
Applicant must be in good academic standing and pursuing a degree in the Honors College, with preference given to students from traditionally underserved populations or who are first generation, and pursuing a degree in the technology fields.
Anheuser-Busch Endowed Scholarship
Applicant must be a full-time Honors College student having completed a minimum of 60 hours with a CUM GPA of 3.0. Preference will be giving to students who graduated from high school in the San Antonio, Edgewood, Harlandale or South San Antonio ISDs in Bexar County or from Early College High School in Texas. Additional preference will be given to applicants who are first-generation students.
The Tomás Rivera Scholarship Fund
Scholarship support to promising, full-time undergraduate students who are the first generation in their family to attend college.
Paricutin Civic and Educational Foundation, Inc. Endowed Scholarship
Scholarship is open to full-time entering freshmen who are residents of San Antonio, with preference given to applicants who are first-generation students and high school graduates of Harlandale, Edgewood, or San Antonio ISD. Preference will also be given to applicants who are bilingual.
Ann Biggs/Thelma Salazar Endowed Scholarship for First-Generation Immigrant Children
Scholarship is open to full-time students who demonstrate financial need and are first-generation children who have at least one parent who immigrated to the U.S.