Trinity commits aid to local students

University partnership seeks to limit debt for SAISD graduates it admits

San Antonio Independent School District graduates admitted to Trinity University will be able to attend the expensive, topranked school with no more than $3,500 a year in student loan debt, officials announced Wednesday.

A partnership called the Trinity Community Investment will be a “game changer” for the district’s top students who want to attend a local university but historically have received more generous financial aid packages from prestigious schools outside the state, Superintendent Pedro Martinez said.

“One of the big barriers when our students stay local is, a lot of themwork, and they have life that competes with their academics. And so to have the opportunity to experience the college experience and stay local — that is a dream for both parents and for students,” Martinez said.

Trinity will meet the financial needs of SAISD graduates not covered by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, called FAFSA, capping student loans at $3,500 per year and covering the rest with scholarships and grants, said Justin Doty, Trinity’s Dean of Admissions.

“The bottom line today is we just want students to know that if they gain admission to Trinity, we will make this a financial reality for them to attend and graduate,” Doty said.

Trinity’s sticker price of $62,000 includes costs for living on campus, which the university requires of its students, though that requirement is on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, which has emptied dormitories.

Jonathan Hernandez knows many students who could not afford Trinity without significant help — he works with them and was one of them. When he was a Jefferson High School senior, his uncle, a mailman, personally delivered Trinity’s acceptance letter to him over the Christmas break heading into 2011.

They celebrated, not sure how Hernandez could afford it. But Trinity covered his tuition with a scholarship. Now back at Jeffer

son as a college adviser, Hernandez was on hand Wednesday for the virtual event announcing the partnership to make the university an option for more high-achieving local students.

“I’ve seen firsthand the needs that our students face on a daily basis, both personally and professionally,” Hernandez said.

About 12 percent of Trinity students typically come from Bexar County, with about 5 percent FROMSAISD schools, Doty said. Just five SAISD students are in this year’s freshman class of about 640, he added.

Once the students arrive, they will be closely aligned with advisers tasked with helping them stay on a path to graduate within four years, which contributes to less student loan debt.

Trinity officials hope to eventually expand the partnership to more area school districts but have not developed a timeline yet, Doty said.