About AlamoPROMISE

The AlamoPROMISE eliminates financial barriers to higher education, making a college degree a reality.

A Well-Educated Workforce is the Key to a Prosperous Bexar County Community

The Alamo Colleges District and its partners are committed to ending poverty, enhancing economic and social mobility and meeting workforce demands in our City by joining forces to help more students complete college and obtain the necessary skills to hold high-wage, high-demand jobs.

Through AlamoPROMISE, the Alamo Colleges District is working to ensure access to education for all local students by providing for the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for up to three years to eligible graduating seniors from the San Antonio area.

 

AlamoPROMISE featured on PBS NewsHour
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AlamoPROMISE was featured prominently on the nationwide news program PBS NewsHour.

Read the Story

 

AlamoPROMISE Highlights

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Over 9,000

PROMISE Scholars Served across three academic years

 

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Over 1/3

of PROMISE Scholars pursue STEM fields

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Over 90%

of PROMISE Scholars are students of color

AlamoPROMISE
Frequently Asked Questions

What is AlamoPROMISE?

Working with local government and community partners Alamo PROMISE provides community college tuition along with mandatory fees to eligible students who plan to earn an associate degree, certification, courses for transfer or workforce training.

Alamo PROMISE is more than a new program of the Alamo Colleges District, it is a community-wide initiative. 

AlamoPROMISE will provide last-dollar funding to fill the gap between a student’s financial aid award and the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for up to three years at one of the Alamo Colleges District’s five colleges.

Who is eligible for AlamoPROMISE?

Graduating high school seniors from any of the participating high schools are eligible.

To be eligible, students must:

  • Complete a Save Your Seat Form to participate in the program
  • Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or Texas Application for State Financial Aid and list at least one college of the Alamo Colleges District
  • Complete any documents required to process a financial aid award
  • Apply for admission to one of the Alamo Colleges through Apply Texas
  • Complete registration at one of the Alamo Colleges to attend the Fall semester immediately following their senior year of high school
  • Enroll in the fall semester immediately following high school graduation
  • Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), which includes three components:
    • 1) Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0.
    • 2) Completion rate of 66.66% cumulative rate between hours attempted and hours completed.
    • 3) Maximum hours: no more than 99 attempted hours of college-level coursework (excluding 20 hours of remedial courses) for Associates Degrees and no more than 180 attempted hours of college-level coursework (excluding 30 hours of remedial courses) for Bachelor Degrees (BSN).
    • For more information on SAP, visit Maintaining Your Eligibility on the District financial aid page for more information.
  • Follow Course in Program of Study (CPOS) requirements. CPOS is a federal requirement stating that only courses that count toward your degree or certificate can be considered when calculating your federal financial aid eligibility.  Additionally, courses outside of your program of study will not be covered by AlamoPROMISE.

View List of Participating High Schools

When did the program begin?

The first cohort of AlamoPROMISE scholars were recruited in the fall of 2019 and enrolled as AlamoPROMISE Scholars in fall of 2020.

How is the program being funded?

AlamoPROMISE is both privately and publicly funded.

The generous support of our community makes this program possible. We want to encourage your continued investment in Bexar County area students.

Give to AlamoPROMISE Today

Why does the community need AlamoPROMISE?

There is consensus in the community that education beyond high school is critical to providing economic and social mobility for residents, and that financial barriers are the greatest factor in preventing residents from enrolling in or completing a college education.

The leadership of the Alamo Colleges District believes that Alamo PROMISE provides a strategy to address that reality and the fact that San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing economic regions in the country, yet has the second-highest percentage of population in poverty among the top 25 largest U.S. metro areas.

Are there successful program like this in other major cities?

Yes. The Dallas County Community College District has a successful Promise program, and there are 242 such programs making a difference across the country.

 

Student FAQs

Who can participate in PROMISE?

AlamoPROMISE is open to graduating seniors from participating AlamoPROMISE high schools. Current participating AlamoPROMISE high schools can be found here.

Graduating seniors need to enroll at one of the Alamo Colleges in the Fall semester immediately following their high school graduation.

Students interested in becoming an AlamoPROMISE Scholar must meet application deadlines to be considered for the program. For students who would like to be part of AlamoPROMISE, the following steps need to be met:

Alamo Colleges FAFSA School Codes:

NLC 042636  

NVC 033723  

PAC 016615  

SAC 009163  

SPC 003608

AlamoPROMISE is not available to: students not from a participating high school or pilot program, transfer students, students who enrolled at another institution of higher education prior to the Fall semester, or students who did not enroll during the Fall semester immediately following their high school graduation.

The AlamoPROMISE Program Office is available to address any questions about AlamoPROMISE participation at promise@tavernaefes.com.  Students who do not meet AlamoPROMISE participation criteria can receive assistance with transition to college through the Alamo Colleges District’s College Connection Team.  

Does my family income or academic standing play a role in my participation in AlamoPROMISE?

No, income level or graduating Grade Point Average (GPA)/class rank are not part of the eligibility requirements for AlamoPROMISE. Seniors from participating high schools can become AlamoPROMISE Scholars.

How long can a student participate in AlamoPROMISE?

AlamoPROMISE covers the cost of tuition and required fees at any of the five colleges of the Alamo Colleges District for up to three years (six consecutive semesters Fall and Spring semesters) or the completion of an associate degree or academic certificate, whichever comes first.

What does AlamoPROMISE cover?

After the financial aid award has been applied, AlamoPROMISE last-dollar funding covers the remaining costs of tuition and required fees. You may view the Cost of attendance breakdown, here.

AlamoPROMISE will only cover courses that are part of a student’s Course Program of Study (CPOS). CPOS is a federal requirement stating that only courses that count toward a degree or certificate can be considered when calculating a student’s federal financial aid eligibility. Due to this requirement, if a student takes courses not on their official degree plan, it could result in receiving less federal financial aid and having to pay for courses out-of-pocket. Visit here for more CPOS information.

AlamoPROMISE does not pay for other college-going expenses, including but not limited to technology equipment, transportation, and housing. Note that textbook rentals covered by tuition, laptop rentals and VIA bus passes are available to enrolled students. 

What is “last-dollar” funding?

AlamoPROMISE is a last-dollar funding program that considers first federal and state financial aid awards that a student is eligible for, such as a federal Pell Grant.  The amount of “last-dollar” AlamoPROMISE funding each student receives will vary based on individual financial aid awards for which the student is eligible. 

What does a student need to do to maintain AlamoPROMISE scholar status?
  • AlamoPROMISE Scholars must meet key criteria that support a successful journey toward college completion. AlamoPROMISE Scholars are highly encouraged to complete at least 18 credit hours during the Fall and Spring semesters (9 hours per semester).

  • AlamoPROMISE Scholars must maintain continuous enrollment for up to six consecutive Fall and Spring semesters (does not include Summer). AlamoPROMISE students may take classes during the Summer; however, other sources of funding such as Summer Momentum Program, Scholarships or other aid will need to be used as AlamoPROMISE last-dollar funding does not apply for summer terms. For more information related to scholarships view the Student Scholarships page.
  • AlamoPROMISE Scholars must remain in Satisfactory Academic Progress(SAP).
    • Note: The Alamo Colleges District checks SAP every year after Spring grades are posted. This includes maintaining a 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
  • AlamoPROMISE Scholars must maintain Financial Aid eligibility.
  • AlamoPROMISE Scholars must pursue Courses in their Program of Study (CPOS) in order to follow federal requirements. Scholars should always reference their official degree plan and course catalog to determine what courses count toward their degree. For specific questions about what counts toward their degree, Scholars may contact their academic advisor.

  • Complete any other program requirements communicated by the AlamoPROMISE Program Office via the official student ACES email account.

AlamoPROMISE Scholars not meeting the requirements needed to maintain AlamoPROMISE Scholar status may be subject to having their AlamoPROMISE revoked. Any notices regarding a change in AlamoPROMISE Scholar status will be communicated by the AlamoPROMISE Program Office to the official student ACES email account.

Please note that if there are concerns about meeting any requirements, students should work with their Certified Academic Advisor for exception consideration and a plan for continued success. The AlamoPROMISE Program Office is also available to assist with any questions at promise@tavernaefes.com.

Do AlamoPROMISE scholars need to complete financial aid verification or other required financial aid documents?

Yes, AlamoPROMISE students need to complete financial aid verification and/or any other required financial documents that are requested after a FAFSA of TASFA is submitted. Please note that the FAFSA/TASFA and any requested documents must be completed every year to maintain AlamoPROMISE Scholar Status.

Any requested documents are part of the Financial Aid completion process and are needed to determine a student’s Financial Aid eligibility and last-dollar funding. Financial Aid awards and AlamoPROMISE last-dollar funding cannot be issued until Financial Aid documents are complete.

Verification is a review process in which the Student Financial Aid Office determines the accuracy of various data elements reported by the student and/or their parent(s) on their FAFSA submission. The U.S. Department of Education selects approximately 30% of all aid applicants for verification. The verification process ensures that students receive all the financial aid they are entitled to receive. Selected students are required to complete the verification process before Financial Aid eligibility can be determined.  

Any outstanding financial aid documents will be requested through the student portal, ACES

Steps to complete Verification:

  • Log into ACES
  • Check the 'Financial Aid Checklist' section of ‘My Page’ for unsatisfied financial aid requirements
  • Complete all PDF(s)/DocuSign/other documents requested and Submit them according to the instructions provided:         
    • You may also be asked to follow a URL link to the ProVerifier+ student portal and sign in with your tavernaefes.com email address.
    • If directed to the ProVerifier+ student portal, make sure to check and complete all document requests in both the ProVerifier+ ANDyour ACES student portals. The Alamo Colleges District is using the ProVerifier+ system to assist you with the verification process. The automated ProVerifier+ system communicates directly with the IRS on behalf of you and/or your parent(s) to obtain official IRS tax transcripts, saving a tremendous amount of time and effort as well as ensuring the correct documents for the correct year are requested. You and/or your parent(s) will only be required to electronically complete and eSign an IRS Form 4506-T/C Form and a Verification worksheet – ProVerifier+ will do the rest!

For help with any Financial Aid documents, please email promise_finaid@tavernaefes.com or call 210-212-5266.

If you have any concerns about Financial Aid and AlamoPROMISE Scholar Status, the AlamoPROMISE Program Office is also available to address questions at promise@tavernaefes.com.  

Will AlamoPROMISE scholars be dropped from classes?

AlamoPROMISE Scholars who have outstanding balances related to tuition and required fees may be dropped from classes if their financial aid is not complete. Continuing AlamoPROMISE should submit their financial aid application no later than May 1 to avoid being dropped from classes.

Additionally, students may incur a balance due to registering for courses outside of their program of study (CPOS). Students should meet with their academic advisor to review their course schedule and make adjustments as needed.

Students with outstanding balances related to fees not covered by AlamoPROMISE should contact the Student Business Office for payment plan options. Alternate funding sources are also available through internal scholarships or emergency aid

What other types of resources are available to students at the Alamo Colleges?

Students attending one of the five colleges at the Alamo Colleges District have access to different types of resources to assist you with your success. Some resources include: Laptop and Wi-Fi Hotspot check-out, student emergency aid, student food support from the San Antonio Food Bank, Housing and Rental Assistance programs, mental health counseling and other referrals for public assistance. 


Leadership

Steering Committee as for Spring 2023

Dr. Mike Flores
Chancellor, Alamo Colleges District

Mayor Ron Nirenberg
City of San Antonio

Kate Rogers
Executive Director, Alamo Trust, Inc.

Dr. Jeff Goldhorn
Executive Director, Education Service Center Region 20

Romanita Matta-Barrera
Chief Workforce Officer, Greater: SATX

Peter J. Holt
Chief Executive Officer, HOLT CAT

Dr. Milton "Rob" Fields III
Superintendent - Interim, Judson ISD

Dr. Brian Woods
Superintendent, Northside ISD

Dave Petersen
President & CEO - Interim, San Antonio Chamber of Commerce

Ana Acevedo
Executive Director, San Antonio Education Partnership

Dr. Jaime Aquino 
Superintendent, San Antonio ISD

Dr. Jeanette Ball
Superintendent, Southwest ISD

Dr. Linda Schott
President - Interim, Texas A&M University – San Antonio

Dr. Taylor Eighmy
President, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Kevin Voelkel
President, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas

Dr. Ryan Lugalia-Hollon
Executive Director, UP Partnership

AlamoPROMISE Team

Stephanie Vasquez,
Chief Program Officer

Nicolas “Nick” Silva,
Director of Student Support

Dolores Zapata-Caballero,
Director of Operations

 

Partners

A COMMUNITY PROMISE

The AlamoPROMISE is powered by school districts, colleges and universities, employers, and community organizations that have united to support students in completing education beyond high school, launching their careers, and being included in the economic success of our region.

Together, we believe in every student’s potential and in our community’s responsibility to transform systems that were designed for exclusivity instead of access – systems riddled with barriers that disproportionately impact students in poverty and students of color.

Every AlamoPROMISE partner has a unique role to play in supporting students through each stage of their educational and economic journey. We are proud to recognize their contributions and we invite others in our community to join us in this work.


Contact Us

For general inquiries related to PROMISE, e-mail promise@tavernaefes.com.