UTSA has a number of services to ensure you are on a pathway to success!
Academic Advising
At the University of Texas at San Antonio, academic advising is an essential part of teaching and research. Advisors engage students in their planning, teach them how to navigate relevant academic resources, and encourage them to take responsibility for decisions about their academic progress. Academic advising is a partnership between students and academic advisors.
Academic Success & Tutoring
The Tomás Rivera Center Academic Success Coaching Program supports the academic excellence of UTSA’s undergraduate students. The Tomás Rivera Center offers a variety of programs to meet student’s individual academic needs. Academic Coaches are available for personal appointments to help students identify academic strengths and to assist students in building effective study skills. Information-packed workshops are offered that teach advanced techniques for studying. Program services are specialized for the needs of undergraduate UTSA students.
The Thomas Rivera Center also houses the Access College and Excel (ACE) program. This is a special scholarship and retention program aimed at helping incoming freshmen, who have graduated from specific high schools effectively transfer from high school to a four-year university to obtain a bachelor’s degree. Scholarships, individualized academic assistance, enrollment in a college success seminar course (CSS 1202), participation in a Learning Community, mentoring, and advising services are given to ACE students for their first two academic years in college.
The Judith G. Gardner Center for Writing Excellence is the campus resource that helps the entire UTSA Community with various writing projects, questions, and challenges. Their experienced tutors assist current undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty/staff members with each step of the writing process: brainstorming, establishing a thesis, achieving coherence and unity, documenting, and revising. Their tutors will help edit and proofread essays and will help improve editing skills.
SOAR is a program designed to support and empower first-year students who will benefit from targeted guidance. The SOAR team is ready to work with students to ensure a successful academic experience at UTSA. It is the goal of the program to have its participants: Develop an academic success plan that will help you meet your academic goals; Identify and find solutions to factors that may be hindering your academic performance; Create a support network with devoted faculty, academic advisors, staff, and peer mentors; Learn about academic resources that will positively influence academic success; Attend workshops, events, and activities focused on building a positive academic future.
The University College at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) provides the foundational academic experience for students to explore what the university has to offer. All first-year-in-college students participate in University College’s First-Year Experience Program (FYE), a program that helps new college students make connections academically and socially on campus. In UTSA’s FYE Program students will (1) complete Academic Inquiry and Scholarship (AIS 1203), a course designed to introduce students to the general research and inquiry practices within three broad academic cultures as well as develop academic skills necessary to succeed beyond the first year in college; (2) participate in the University Peer Mentorship Experience (UPM 1000), an experience in which first-year-in-college students connect with a peer mentor to explore UTSA’s academic and social resources, gain assistance in exploring major and career options, and learn college success strategies. The FYE program also offers students the opportunity to enroll in linked courses.
The First-Gen & Transfer Student Center is committed to supporting students that identify as first-generation or transfer students as they pursue their undergraduate degrees. The center is focused on ensuring that students make the most out of their university experience through mentorship, student success activities, and community building.
Learn more about First-Generation & Transfer Student Center »
Student Support Services (SSS) is a TRiO program that provides opportunities for academic development, assists students with basic college requirements, and motivates students to complete their postsecondary education. The goal of SSS is to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants.
Student Assistance Services serves as a central hub and collaborative resource to assist students with navigating academic and non-academic matters related to their enrollment to help them bring closure or resolution to their situation or circumstances and support their progress to degree completion and personal and professional development. Student Assistance Services promotes a student-centric approach and culture of care when providing services within an ombuds framework of informality, neutrality, independence, and confidentiality (with some exceptions).
Career Services
The goal of the UTSA University Career Center is to improve career/professional outcomes and community engagement by designing an ecosystem that connects academic, business, and civic communities. This center assists all Roadrunners in discovering, pursuing, and achieving their unique career goals. The Career Center provides numerous opportunities for students to build career-related skills and connect with employers through events and experiential learning activities. Students benefit from faculty support and encouragement to pursue new hands-on experiences that align with their future career goals. The Career Center offers many workshops that you can attend to assist in preparing you for and landing an experiential learning opportunity. Workshops are open to all students and alumni and can also be hosted by student organizations. The Career Center also provides individualized assistance in identifying experiential learning opportunities, professional development, and transforming education and work experiences to achieve career goals. The University Career Center assists students and alumni in identifying and developing the global skills necessary to successfully pursue and achieve lifelong career goals.
- Career Explorations
- Graduate/Professional School
- Internships
- Interviewing
- Professional Networking
- Experiential Learning
- Resumé Review
- Career Closet
- Career Fairs
- Workshops
On-Campus Recruitment
The Najim center serves as a hub offering programs aimed at ensuring that UTSA students in all majors can develop career pathways and leverage experiential learning opportunities that hone their career readiness skills. Students gain direct experience with issues affecting their community and knowledge on how to connect that back to their classroom studies. This center engages students in the classroom to career exploration through creating experiential learning opportunities throughout the UTSA campus and within the community. They support these activities in developing intentional programming and services while building capacity for the transition from student to career.
Learn more about The Najim Center for Innovation and Career Advancement »
The Health Professions Office is part of UTSA’s Career-Engaged Learning ecosystem of offices, services, and opportunities that helps students connect what they are learning in the classroom to future career goals. They support experiential learning opportunities, encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration, foster partnerships with the community, and aid in the articulations of marketable skills.
The Institute for Law and Public Affairs is part of UTSA’s Career-Engaged Learning ecosystem of offices, services, and opportunities that helps students connect what they are learning in the classroom to future career goals. We support experiential learning opportunities, encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration, foster partnerships with the community, and aid in the articulations of marketable skills.
The UTSA Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SIE) Program is a cross-disciplinary effort linking innovation to commercialization. SIE integrates diverse knowledge and perspectives and engages broad audiences from across UTSA to turn imagination into innovation.
Learn more about UTSA Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program »
Research and Scholarships
The UTSA Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SIE) Program is a cross-disciplinary effort linking innovation to commercialization. SIE integrates diverse knowledge and perspectives and engages broad audiences from across UTSA to turn imagination into innovation.
Learn more about UTSA Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program »
The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards (ONCA) empowers students of all backgrounds to step out into the national arena and apply for prestigious awards such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Fulbright, Truman, and National Science Foundation awards, all of which facilitate graduate study across disciplines. ONCA also works with undergraduate students at the earliest stages in their academic careers to secure national scholarships that help fund their undergraduate tuition, study abroad opportunities, and summer research initiatives.
Learn more about UTSA Office Of Nationally Competitive Awards »
The Financial Aid and Scholarships office administers a variety of scholarships funded by the university and donors who support UTSA. To apply for these scholarships, you must submit the Scholarship Hub’s General Application annually. Be sure to review individual scholarship opportunity criteria and deadlines. UTSA departments provide scholarship opportunities to eligible students, some of which are listed on the UTSA Scholarship Hub.
Volunteer, Civic Engagement, and Leadership Services
Leadership and Volunteer Services serves as a comprehensive, centralized connection point for students, staff, and faculty to access leadership and volunteer opportunities on campus and in the greater San Antonio community. They also have a Student Leadership Academy that aims to develop holistic leaders through interactive workshops that encourage participants to think critically and through an equitable lens to engage and empower their communities to actively create positive change.
This center is dedicated to empowering students, faculty, and staff to serve society through community-engaged scholarship that enriches learning, promotes civic literacy, and contributes to the study of community needs and resources. The Center for Civic Engagement coordinates year-round civic engagement initiatives on and off-campus. This Center supports an average of 25 engaged-learning courses per semester. They also support faculty attain official designation as an “S” course, help track levels of community engagement and identify the type of community issues being addressed in their classwork.
Study Abroad Services
Student Organization Services
Student Activities helps students and student organizations get involved with the UTSA community through campus-wide events, traditions, workshops, training, and development opportunities to prepare for future success. This office practices the facilitator model in which staff partner with students to make intelligent, fair, and reasonable choices within the established state, federal, and local laws, university rules and regulations, and the educational mission of the institution.
Mental Health Services
Going to college can be a time of growth and stress. Many students experience personal turmoil during this process and some come face to face with crisis and confusion. The Counseling Services’ staff is available to help students with any issue or concern that they may encounter. In a comfortable and confidential setting, students can examine issues such as gaining independence, managing new relationships, balancing academic stresses, or about making meaningful career decisions.
Learn more about UTSA Counseling and Mental Health Services »
Faculty Development Services
UTSA’s Faculty Center is a centralized hub for professional development, serving all the university’s teachers and researchers including tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure-track faculty. A clearinghouse for faculty-related information and services, the Faculty Center pulls together opportunities from several university offices under one convenient umbrella. Offerings include a new slate of professional development workshops each semester, allowing faculty to advance their skills and knowledge.
Study Abroad and Away
COLFA offers a plethora of local and global opportunities to engage you.
Dean’s Student Advisory Council
The COLFA Dean’s Student Advisory Council serves to facilitate and enhance communication between the College of Liberal and Fine Arts and university students, faculty, and staff.
