USAA Ascent Scholars Program

SPRING 2026

The USAA Ascent Scholars Program is a scholarship program aimed at preparing outstanding students to strengthen their career readiness for the workforce. The program provides a monetary scholarship and requires students to engage in professional development and career readiness events during the Spring 2026 semester.

To be eligible to apply, students must:

• Be an undergraduate student in a College of AI, Cyber and Computing major
• Have at least a 3.0 overall GPA
• Be registered in at least 12 semester credit hours
• Be engaged in career readiness activities:
  Lower-division students should provide evidence of identified opportunities to engage in professional development and career readiness activities while at UT San Antonio during the Spring 2026 semester. This may include attending career events at the university, getting involved with career development activities within or outside the university, applying for employment within the field, etc.
  Upper-division students should provide evidence that they will be engaged in a required experience during the Spring 2026 semester (see Levels of Funding and Expectations section).

Applicants with strong interest but still seeking engagement opportunities may be considered as well.

Spring 2026 recipients are required to complete the following activities during the semester depending on their classification:

Lower Division Students

• Meet with a USAA Student Success Center Career Coach at least once
• Meet with a USAA Student Success Center Peer Mentor Coach at least once
• Represent the College of AI, Cyber and Computing at one event such as Roadrunner Preview Day, San Pedro II Grand Opening, or other college-designated recruiting or community event
• Attend the STEM Career Expo
• Complete one high-impact experience, which should last the entire semester: professional development workshop, job shadowing or micro-experience, study abroad, research, competition-based experience (e.g., Hackathon, Datahon, Draper, etc.), resumé enhancement (projects, online learning certificates, etc).

Upper Division Students

• Meet with a USAA Student Success Center Career Coach at least twice
• Meet with a USAA Student Success Center Peer Mentor Coach at least twice
• Represent the College of AI, Cyber and Computing at one event such as Roadrunner Preview Day, San Pedro II Grand Opening, or other college-designated recruiting or community event
• Attend the STEM Career Expo
• Complete one high-impact experience, which should last the entire semester: professional development workshop, research under the supervision of a College faculty member, study abroad, leadership in a registered student organization, any College of AI, Cyber and Computing USAA Student Success Center Career signature program (e.g., Draper, HEB).

Students completing a study abroad experience for Spring 2026 may request an additional scholarship supplement of up to $750 for lower division students and $1000 for upper division students.

For more information, contact the USAA Student Success Center (caicc.ssc@utsa.edu).