Institution The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) State Texas Academic Level Graduate Issue Area Access Website https://future.utsa.edu/graduate/krwu/ Key Personnel Ambika Mathur Program Focus College Prep Overview The Keep Running With Us (KRWU) program is designed to retain talented undergraduate UTSA students and alumni in pursuit of graduate education. KRWU’s mission is to increase equitable access to education by increasing the percentage of Latino students admitted into master's programs. San Antonio is home to a large and growing Hispanic population. UTSA views its future as inextricably linked to their city and they strive to ensure the university's demographics mirror the communities they serve. KRWU's goal is to increase equitable access to education by increasing the percentage of Hispanic and Latino students admitted into master's level programs through these initiatives. Program Description With KRWU, faculty or colleges identify recently graduated undergraduates for a simplified admission process. Selected candidates are fast-tracked through the graduate admissions process that waives fees, test scores and supplemental documentation. Instead, a personal faculty nomination or college invitation is the only required recommendation. The simplified application requires basic demographic information from the student while colleges compile the remaining information on the applicants' behalf. Upon official submission, students are automatically admitted and notified once accepted. KRWU intentionally serves Latino populations through targeted outreach and guidance about the impact of graduate education via information sessions for first-generation students, Dreamers, and our large population of Hispanic students. Outcome Program effectiveness is tracked by enrollment numbers and number of master’s degrees awarded. KRWU is working as expected to facilitate UTSA’s Latino undergraduates’ enrollment in and graduation from our master’s programs. As awareness of the program has grown, the proportion of KRWU graduates who are Latino has increased annually over the proportion of traditionally admitted Latino graduates. The four-year average of newly enrolled Latino students admitted via KRWU vs. traditional applications is 55% for the program compared to 50% for traditional admits. The four-year average of Latino students who graduated annually via KRWU vs. traditional applications are 52% for the program compared to 46% for traditional admits. Learn more about Latino College Completion in Texas Return to Growing What Works Database
