Study identifies benefits of community scholarship programs

MAY 27, 2021 — A little financial assistance goes a long way toward helping youth realize their college dreams. That’s according to a new study by the UTSA Urban Education Institute examining San Antonio’s most wide-ranging collection of community scholarships offered to college-bound students.

The San Antonio Area Foundation’s Scholarship Program has more than 100 funds available for graduating high school students and current college students. High school students receiving scholarships experienced improved college enrollment rates, more timely degree completion rates and less school debt, according to the analysis.

An average scholarship of about $7,000 increased on-time college graduation (within four years) by nearly 20%. And student debt decreased by about $4,500 on average, the study found.

“The Area Foundation program is an example of a community-based solution to increasing economic mobility through education.”

"The Area Foundation program is an example of a community-based solution to increasing economic mobility through education,” said Mike Villarreal, director of the UTSA Urban Education Institute, and an assistant professor in the university’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. “We see our work with the Area Foundation as an ongoing partnership to strengthen this local effort. Our collaboration is part of a bold vision of student success that is transforming our entire community.”

Marjie French, CEO of the Area Foundation, said the study’s findings reflect the dedication of donors, the community and the organization to the important mission of increasing access to higher education.

“It’s gratifying to see scholarly research confirm what we’ve thought for a long time,” French said. “The scholarships program we provide is, in fact, having a real and lasting effect in the youth of our community. We’re having a significant impact in providing them more and better opportunities for higher education and career advancement.”

Since its first scholarship award in 1969, the Area Foundation has awarded more than $37 million to college-going students. The UEI study, Helping Youth Realize Their College Dreams: An Impact Study of the San Antonio Area Foundation’s Scholarship Program, compared scholarship awardees to their high school peers with similar demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, as well as prior educational experiences.   

Key Findings

• Students receiving an Area Foundation scholarship were more likely to enroll in a four-year college over a two-year college. Receiving an award increased the probability of enrolling in a four-year college over two-year college by about 12%.
  
  
• An Area Foundation scholarship increased the likelihood of students earning undergraduate degrees within four years. Awardees graduated from four-year colleges on time at higher rates than their peers. Receiving a scholarship increased the probability of students earning a degree in four years by about 20%.
  
  
• Receiving a scholarship did not change the probability of earning an associate degree within two or three years of college entry.
  
  
• Four-year college students with an Area Foundation scholarship realized a reduction in college loan debt by about $4,500 on average.

The Urban Education Institute produces improvement-focused, collaborative research to raise educational attainment, advance economic mobility, and help people achieve their potential in the greater San Antonio region. Some of the institute’s most recent studies have analyzed the quality of distance teaching and learning in the pandemic; the effect of student mobility on local K-12 schools; the trends in student employment; and the impact of Bexar County job training programs.

— Nicole Foy