UTeach Pioneers Co-Enrollment Program with Local Community College
By Vivian Abagiu
Freshman orientation is a rite of passage for every incoming University of Texas at Austin student. The excitement is palpable as students navigate through buildings, tread into orientation halls, and plant the seeds of friendships. Ethan Prins and Dayanara De Anda are two such students, preparing for their first semester at UT in the fall. Their UT Austin journey began just like many other students’, but they are unique in that they’ll simultaneously be enrolled at Austin Community College.
De Anda and Prins are part of the inaugural cohort of 11 students in the UTeach Access pathway, a new co-enrollment program between The University of Texas at Austin and Austin Community College (ACC), made possible by a grant from the Microsoft Corporation. The program was created in response to the growing need for STEM teachers in the U.S.
“I want to impact lives. Education — I know it’s for me.”
— Dayanara De Anda, Incoming UT Austin Freshman
From the thousands of high-achieving, qualified students who applied to study biology, chemistry, math, or physics at UT, many indicated an interest in teaching. Some students from that group, including Prins and De Anda, were offered a spot in this innovative new pathway to STEM teaching preparation.
For Prins, whose mother was a first-generation college student and Longhorn, attending UT via UTeach Access means he can afford to go to his dream school and be a Longhorn, too.
“UT has some sort of magic that not a lot of universities have. It’s very unique — that’s what I’m excited for mostly, that Longhorn experience,” he says.
The program checks a lot of boxes for De Anda’s interests and career goals, too. With a bright smile, she shares that she has wanted to be a teacher since she was a child, and that she developed a love for mathematics in high school.
“I want to become a teacher. I know that there are a lot of challenges, but it’s for the future generations. It’s for the children and, honestly, I want to impact lives. Education — I know it’s for me,” she says.
De Anda initially planned to attend Texas A&M University but jumped at the opportunity to attend UT through UTeach Access because she loved the campus and felt UT was an overall better choice for her STEM education.
Prins echoed De Anda’s passion for creating positive change through education, and although he hadn’t considered teaching until recently, he’s excited at the prospect of changing lives through teaching.
“You’re benefiting society, and that’s what UT is all about, you’re changing the world. That’s what UTeach allows you to do, so it’s pretty cool,” Prins says.
How does co-enrollment work? UTeach Access students begin their college experience taking courses at both UT Austin and nearby at ACC’s Rio Grande campus. Students have all the benefits of being a Longhorn — including access to housing, libraries, and sporting events — but also receive tailored support, including dedicated advising, direct support from UTeach faculty and staff, and regular cohort meetings.
The partnership between UT Austin with ACC comes with financial benefits to that can help program students better afford college. Overall tuition costs are dramatically reduced for UTeach Access students vs. traditional UT Austin students. Through co-enrollment, students take ACC courses that count towards their degree at UT Austin, which provides significant savings in overall tuition costs. In other words, students who complete the program graduate from UT Austin with a four-year degree, but a portion of that cost is at the ACC tuition rate.
“This is a great opportunity and can help me afford college better. I think that’s cool, being a Riverbat and a Longhorn, cross species,” Prins says, referring to each institution’s mascot.
