{"id":222781,"date":"2026-03-27T08:10:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T08:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/222781\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T08:10:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T08:10:12","slug":"how-ut-san-antonio-is-emerging-as-a-national-model-for-student-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/222781\/","title":{"rendered":"How UT San Antonio is emerging as a national model for student success"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an era when colleges are being asked to deliver more value, greater access and stronger outcomes, UT San Antonio is demonstrating what\u2019s possible when purpose and innovation align.<\/p>\n

On the heels of the university\u2019s integration, UT San Antonio now stands as the third-largest research university in Texas. Even as the university experiences rapid growth, its unwavering priority remains student success.<\/p>\n

By combining innovative academics, personalized support and hands-on learning, the university invests in every student\u2019s success from the first day on campus through graduation and beyond.<\/p>\n

Others are taking notice \u2014 the university was recently recognized with the prestigious 2025 Excellence in Student Success Award<\/a>\u00a0by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) for the university\u2019s comprehensive, data-driven approach to advancing student achievement.<\/p>\n

\"FourDesigned to help students succeed<\/p>\n

To help students succeed during their time as a Roadrunner, the university has implemented six innovative approaches.<\/p>\n

1. Aligning support services to keep students on track<\/p>\n

Instead of making students navigate a maze of separate offices for advising, tutoring and career help, the university brings everything together in one connected support system. Through the\u00a0Roadrunner Success Hub<\/a>\u00a0and college-based Student Success Centers, students get the right help at the right time, whether they need academic guidance, extra support in a class or help preparing for a career.<\/p>\n

This coordinated approach removes obstacles, keeps students on track and ensures every student has a clear path from enrollment to graduation and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe deeply that higher education is the greatest opportunity provider, especially when grounded in student success. And when we can create impact at scale for our students, with a premise of balancing access and excellence across the board, we can positively change the trajectory of their families for generations to come.\u201d \u2014 Taylor Eighmy, President<\/p>\n

\"A2. Using data and predictive analytics to support students early<\/p>\n

Through the incorporation of future-forward technologies like predictive analytics, academic advisors and success coaches can identify academic risk for students earlier, allowing them to intervene before challenges become barriers for students. This strategy has contributed to sustained gains in retention and graduation rates, shortened the time to earn a degree, and led to a growing number of students completing their education with less debt.<\/p>\n

By reducing the time to degree from 5.3 years on average in 2009 to 4.3 years in 2025, UT San Antonio graduates have saved nearly $5 million during that timeframe.<\/p>\n

3. Expanding access to education with enduring value<\/p>\n

By addressing the full cost of attendance, including time to degree, financial literacy and access to support services, the university is helping more students graduate with less debt and greater long-term value from their degree.<\/p>\n

Programs like\u00a0Bold Promise<\/a>\u00a0give qualifying first-time students the support needed to access a high-quality and affordable education while also keeping them accountable to finish their program in four years. These efforts reflect a broader commitment to social mobility<\/a>, utilizing education to help students from every background build stronger futures, enabling them to fully engage in the academic experience and achieve their professional goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proving the value of a college degree by focusing on what truly benefits our students \u2014 graduating on time, with less debt and well-prepared for the workforce.\u201d \u2014 Heather Shipley, Provost and Senior Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs<\/p>\n

\"Medical4. Embedding career readiness and experiential learning in the curriculum<\/p>\n

Undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to benefit from experiential learning, internships, undergraduate research and industry partnerships that connect their full university experience to the real-world skills and expectations of today\u2019s workforce.<\/p>\n

Career preparation is intentionally integrated across the curriculum, helping students translate their education into meaningful professional pathways while building networks that serve students long after they cross the stage at graduation.<\/p>\n

The university\u2019s Najim Center for Innovation and Career Advancement was recently awarded a 2025 Texas Higher Education Star Award<\/a> from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for promoting student success and career development through workforce-aligned programming.<\/p>\n

5. Creating professional pathways for in-demand health careers<\/p>\n

The recent integration with UT Health San Antonio has led to expanded opportunities to meet the nation\u2019s surging need for healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0recent data<\/a>\u00a0from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, three out of every four jobs added in the U.S. are in healthcare, a demand that UT San Antonio is well-positioned to fulfill with its nationally ranked programs in medicine, dentistry, nursing, allied health professions, public health and biomedical sciences.<\/p>\n

By bringing together advanced training, interdisciplinary learning, research and discovery, and real-world clinical experience, the university is expanding access and delivering an education few universities in the nation can match.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuccess for UT San Antonio is to have an impact, to provide better educational opportunities, better discoveries and to improve the quality of life of our students and their families. Better healthcare allows every individual in the communities that we serve the opportunity to reach their highest aspirational goals and strengthens the dignity and well-being of every person we serve.\u201d \u2014 Francisco Cigarroa, Senior Executive Vice President of Health Affairs and Health System<\/p>\n

\"A6. Delivering real student outcomes through a shared purpose<\/p>\n

The university\u2019s student success commitment is grounded in a clear sense of purpose: expanding opportunity, advancing knowledge and improving quality of life in South Texas and beyond.<\/p>\n

UT San Antonio is ranked in the top 10% of universities for social mobility by\u00a0U.S. News and World Report<\/a>\u00a0and one of only 21 universities in the nation recognized by Carnegie as both an R1 and Opportunity College & University<\/a>. This impact is most visible in student outcomes such as higher degree completion rates, reduced debt, stronger career readiness and graduates prepared to contribute meaningfully to their communities.<\/p>\n

Leading the way<\/p>\n

Together, these six strategies, among many more, reflect intentionality. By treating student success as a university-wide responsibility that spans undergraduate, graduate and professional education, UT San Antonio is demonstrating how public universities around the nation can deliver on a promise of access, excellence and impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In an era when colleges are being asked to deliver more value, greater access and stronger outcomes, UT…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":222782,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[82,84,83,55991],"class_list":["post-222781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-student-success"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/222782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}