Are You a Top Scholar?
At UTSA, we are building a community of top scholars who are eager to pursue knowledge and achievement. We search the state for driven, talented students and offer them unique and personalized experiences aimed to empower their professional growth, fuel their passion for lifelong learning and inspire their commitment to a stronger community. Are you highly motivated and high achieving? Do you want to conduct original research and then apply your new, innovative ideas to real-world issues? If this describes you, then this is the place to be.
The application period is closed
for students entering college in Fall 2025.
The application period is September to December 1st
during an applicant's senior year of high school.
UTSA Top Scholar Mission
Recruit and retain very high-achieving students in an environment where intellectual curiosity is stimulated and conducive to in-depth and engaged learning; leaders are empowered to grow and develop professionally; and social consciousness and service to society is used to influence the world for the better.
What is the Top Scholar program?
The UTSA Top Scholar program is a premier scholar program, well-known and highly regarded across the state for developing award-winning, academically talented, and exceptional servant leaders. We are recruiting high-caliber students from across Texas to be part of this exciting program.
Our Top Scholars enjoy intellectual camaraderie, establishing close and lasting friendships with other students and professional relationships with faculty. They’re encouraged to gain a broad perspective through service experiences that merge their academic interests with community issues.
Caille Paulsen
Environmental Sciences
Class of 2022
San Antonio, TX
“The UTSA Top Scholar program and Honors College have given me amazing support to pursue research, and experience life-changing professional development by attending and presenting at academic conferences.”
Mufaro Chitakure
Actuarial Science
Class of 2022
San Antonio, TX
“The UTSA Top Scholar program and Honors College provide support and encouragement that has emboldened my desire to achieve greater things both personally and professionally.”
Vikti Mehta
Finance
Class of 2023
Frisco, TX
“Top Scholar has enabled me to reach my academic and professional potential while tackling important community issues. The opportunities and support offered are unparalleled to any other university, scholarship, or program.”
Christian Strong
Chemical Engineering
Class of 2021
McAllen, TX
“As a UTSA Top Scholar I have explored my academic interests more deeply because I’ve been connected with mentors who support my passion for interdisciplinary research while also experiencing firsthand how getting involved in my community enriches my undergraduate experience.”
Analisa Sulaica
Mexican American Studies
Class of 2022
Del Rio, TX
“The community and opportunities the UTSA Top Scholar program and Honors College provides made my decision easy. The continued mentorship and guidance within the program keeps pushing me on toward great things.”
Margot Duque '24
Margot Duque ’24 double majored in public administration and policy and French, with a minor in economics. In addition to being a Top Scholar, Margot was also a Truman Scholar, a San Antonio City Council intern, and a participant in the Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA) Program Junior Summer Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Following her graduation, she completed a summer internship with the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of Postsecondary Education in Washington, D.C. She then started a full-time position as a research assistant for the Center for the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER), where she examines the impact of policies and practices on students’ long-term educational outcomes. As she starts her professional career, Margot hopes to increase equity and access to high-quality education for all students, regardless of their background.
Top Scholar Benefits
Those selected to be Top Scholars will receive a comprehensive, last-dollar scholarship for up to four years (eight regular semesters) that includes funding for tuition, fees, and room and board. They also receive support for internships and study abroad programs.
However, being a Top Scholar is so much more than that. This is a program, not just a scholarship, where students:
- Engage in a signature enrichment programming,
- Develop comprehensive professional portfolios,
- Live and learn in a community of scholars
- Receive auto-enrollment into the Honors College,
- Obtain access to numerous research opportunities
- Experience exclusive interaction with senior university staff and faculty, and
- Are offered engagement opportunities with community leaders.
Pictured: Top Scholar, Andres Castillo, abroad in Japan
