FEBRUARY 17, 2020 — The UTSA Honors College is taking the first concrete step toward becoming a residential college—a comprehensive on-campus living-learning community that will provide its students with the small, supportive, private college experience that many top-reviewed honors colleges in the nation offer.
Starting in fall 2020, all first-year freshmen entering the university as Honors College students will be required (with some exceptions) to live on campus for their first academic year. These students will be part of the Honors Residential Community, where they will live and study with other honors students in a supportive, close-knit community designed to help them succeed.
“UTSA is committed to providing our students with an exceptional educational experience—both in and out of the classroom,” said Kimberly Andrews Espy, UTSA provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Increasing our living-learning communities is one of the many steps we are taking to help new students more quickly find their sense of belonging at UTSA and strengthen the connection they make to their academic experience.”
“Expanding our living-learning experience will help more honors students network with each other.”
—SEAN KELLY, Dean of the Honors College
Besides the benefit of being closely networked with peers and living with students with similar priorities, on-campus honors students will enjoy programming and special opportunities geared specifically for them.
“Adjusting to college life can be tough at times for even the brightest, most well-adjusted students,” said Honors College Dean Sean Kelly. “Thus, expanding our living-learning experience will help more honors students network with each other, join study groups or receive informal tutoring, connect over shared experiences, and form close friendships in their first year at UTSA.”
On average, students who live on campus their first year are more likely to perform better academically, says Tammy Wyatt, vice provost for student success.
⇒ Visit the UTSA Honors College to learn more about the residential community, including the circumstances for which a student may request a waiver.
“The Honors College model is a great example of a living-learning community designed to create more collaborative learning opportunities that can help new and continuing students develop deeper UTSA roots and a have better overall student experience,” she said.
Students in the Honors Residential Community will first live in Chaparral Village, then move to the new Guadalupe Hall until a new dedicated residential and academic building is built along UTSA Boulevard according to the UTSA Master Plan.
The Honors College is home to roughly 1,300 high-achieving, academically driven students from across all majors and disciplines. As the only 100% experiential learning honors college in Texas, its hands-on and project-based approach allows UTSA students to chart their own path and achieve their highest potential.
