The UT San Antonio Honors College is now home to more than 3,000 students, marking a 120% increase in enrollment over the past five years. This sustained growth reflects the college’s innovative partnerships, flexible pathways and reputation for providing a supportive, high-impact educational experience for motivated and successful students who wish to take charge of their education and achieve their full potential.
This momentum has been driven by intentional collaboration across the university and city.
“By expanding access points into the Honors College and removing the stigma of being an exclusive program for only the highest-achieving students, we have created a model for honors education that offers significant value to curious, committed students who want to make the most out of their education,” said Jill Fleuriet, vice provost for honors education.
Factors driving this growth
Over the past five years, the Honors College has built strong partnerships with several academic colleges to offer college-based honors programs so more students can benefit from both their college and university-wide honors experiences instead of feeling like they have to choose one or the other. New honors programs for students in the College of AI, Cyber and Computing and the College for Health, Community and Policy will start in Fall 2026, with others on the horizon.
The Honors College has also partnered with the division of Strategic Enrollment to establish direct admission agreements with San Antonio ISD and Northside ISD, creating streamlined pathways for talented students from across the city.
Additional on-ramps have been created for high-performing students in programs not directly managed by the Honors College. For example, students in the Lopez Scholars program are automatically admitted into the Honors College during their first year and can choose whether to continue in the program after that time.
One of the most notable drivers of recent enrollment growth has been current students who choose to join the Honors College after their first semester or year. For example, more than 600 continuing students joined the college last spring and another 500 joined this spring.
“We want students to know that the Honors College is flexible and welcoming,” said Lydia Bueno, assistant dean of enrollment management and student life. “If you didn’t join Honors when you first arrived at UT San Antonio, that doesn’t close the door. There are plenty of opportunities to join later as a continuing student, and it’s completely okay for students to take time to find their footing in college before joining Honors.”
Bueno says students can even join the Honors College as juniors and still complete the Honors curriculum and take advantage of the many benefits.
“From hands-on learning and professional development to mentoring and scholarships, students are often surprised by how much is still available to them, no matter when they join,” Bueno added.
Why students are joining
Senior Film and Media Studies major Denny Higgins transferred to UT San Antonio in Fall 2024 after earning his associate’s degree from San Antonio College. He heard about the Honors College from a few friends and professors and was excited to receive an email from the college inviting him to join after his first semester, based on his strong GPA.
“I decided to join the Honors College because the film program is still relatively young, and while it offers some good and rich opportunities, it’s not as developed as other parts of UTSA, and I wanted to be part of something that was more developed and had more opportunities,” Higgins said.
The idea of applying for the college’s experiential learning awards and showcasing his work at its semi-annual Experiential Learning Fair (ELF) was very appealing to him.
“The professional development I’ve gotten from the college’s programs has been valuable and rewarding,” he said. “For example, the ELF has helped me be more confident in my public speaking and learn how to talk about my work in ways that connect with others.”
A San Antonio native, Higgins has spent many years documenting the city’s graffiti artists and culture. Last summer, he received an experiential learning award from the Honors College to produce a magazine that features his photos and interviews with some of the city’s most prominent graffiti artists, exploring topics of community and mental health within urban art culture.
He’s also been able to use his audio/visual skills to support the production of a podcast for the college’s Philosophy and Literature Circle program, working closely with Philosophy and Classics Professor of Instruction Mel Webb.
“The Honors College has a lot of opportunities on the table to take advantage of,” Higgins said. “Even if they’re not directly connected to my major, they are still beneficial in ways that have given me value beyond getting a grade for a class.”
A high-impact experience that supports student success
Honors College students benefit from smaller classes taught by outstanding faculty, personalized advising, priority registration, and access to additional scholarships and signature learning experiences that connect coursework to real-world impact.
Over the past year, students logged more than 1,300 out-of-classroom experiential learning activities, including study abroad, research, internships, leadership roles, certifications, volunteer service, athletics and ROTC participation. To help make these and other opportunities possible, the college awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to its students.
As enrollment continues to grow, the Honors College remains a key component of the university’s recruitment strategy, supporting premier scholar programs such as the Top Scholar program, Terry Scholars and Texas Leadership Scholars, while offering a uniquely supportive environment that challenges students to grow in ways they may never have thought possible.
