Scholarships in San Antonio Texas

Twice per year, we review essays submitted by high school seniors in Texas and New Mexico who are enrolled for full-time attendance at a college or university for the following year. One winner of each essay competition will receive $1,500 in private funds toward their college or university tuition.

College students entering the competition must submit proof of their current high school attendance and enrollment in college. They also must submit proof that their parent(s) or guardian earns less than $50,000 per year.

We know that cost can be prohibitive for lower-income families when their child wants to continue their education beyond high school. We are committed to helping promote educational goals for graduating high school seniors, even when tuition costs seem to stand in the way.

Community Involvement by Cesar Ornelas Injury Law

Our law firm fights for the rights of injured individuals in El Paso, TX; San Antonio, TX; Midland, TX; Odessa, TX; and Hobbs, NM. Standing up for the interests of others is a core value of our legal team, and this extends into our personal goals, as well. Community involvement is critical to Cesar Ornelas Injury Law, and we regularly participate in events and charities that assist people in our neighborhoods and cities.

Attorney Cesar Ornelas II is a native of Kyle, Texas, and he is a first-generation college graduate. He continued his higher education to become a first-generation attorney, building a law firm that protects the rights of the injured and gives back to the community.

Mr. Ornelas wants to assist young people in achieving their dreams of attending accredited college or university so they can meet their full academic achievement, no matter what their family or financial situations might be. With the rising costs of higher education in the U.S., we know that every bit helps, and we hope that our $1,500 semi-annual scholarship can be of valuable assistance to a high school students for academic achievement.

Benefits of Higher Education

Texas residents attending with an undergraduate degree enjoy a significant earnings boost overall in the United States. The average accredited college students graduate earns 84 percent more than a high school graduate during their first few years in the workforce. Last year, the median income for a high school graduate aged 22 to 27 was $30,000, while the median income for a college graduate of the same age was $52,000.

Having an undergraduate degree can also help in times of financial crisis. For example, during the Great Recession in 2010, college graduates had an unemployment rate of 6.9 percent, while the unemployment rate for young workers with high school diplomas was 15.8 percent. In 2021, the unemployment rate for college graduates was lower than two percent.

College graduates are also 3.5 times less likely to fall below the poverty line than graduating high school seniors, and the total net job growth in the past ten years has gone to those with higher education degrees. The value of a accredited college degree is only expected to increase over the next decade, making the financial divide between college and high school graduates even greater.

There are additional benefits to college or university graduates, as well. Statistics show that people with college degrees have a 47 percent higher chance of having health insurance coverage, with their employers contributing 74 percent more to premiums than high school graduates. The life expectancy of college graduates is also estimated to be about seven years longer than people with no college attendance.

Not only can attending college increases your chances of a steady job and higher income, but it can also improve your health, safety, and quality of life in general.

High education is a major investment, but over a lifetime, graduates can see a major return on their investments. Consider the following statistics regarding average lifetime earnings based on an individual’s education level:

High school graduates = $1,304,000 lifetime earnings
Some college education = $1,547,000 lifetime earnings
Associate’s degree = $1,727,000 lifetime warnings
Bachelor’s degree = $2,268,000 lifetime earnings
Advanced degree = $2,671,000 lifetime earnings

While a college degree does not automatically mean someone will earn more over their lifetime, the trends demonstrate that it can certainly be a factor.

High school students getting ready to graduate should seek out all opportunities possible for financial assistance that allows them to pursue their higher education goals. This can include entering essay competitions for scholarships in Texas and New Mexico, such as the one sponsored by Cesar Ornelas Injury Law.

We encourage any NM or texas residents attending to inquire about and apply for this scholarship opportunity.

Rising Costs of Higher Education in the United States

College and university costs have skyrocketed compared to previous generations. Over the past 20 decades, reports show that the average costs of tuition, room and board, and other fees required to obtain an undergraduate degree have increased exponentially. 

Salaries and wages have not increased by similar percentages, making it challenging or impossible for many parents to foot the bill for higher education. Add in the additional financial pressures due to inflation and the rising prices of goods and services, and it is no surprise that many families believe that higher education is not attainable for their children. 

Increases in Tuition Costs Over the Years

In 1980, a college student needed just over $10,000 per year to attend a full-time, four-year college, including room and board (and adjusted for inflation). By the school year from 2019-20, a qualified applicants needed almost $29,000, which was almost a 180 percent increase. The prices have increased even more for private nonprofit institutions, and a student seeking a degree from a private college might need around $50,000 per year. 

Even though tuition increases have stalled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, they remain too high for many qualified applicants to achieve. Further, some experts expect increases to resume in the coming years. 

With unmanageable college and university prices, over 50 percent of college students leave their programs in debt. The average debt per student was $28,400, with many students facing much higher loan balances. With starting wages and salaries much lower than needed to cover student loan payments, college graduates often have struggles from the get-go that can slow their financial progress as young adults starting off on their own. 

Reasons for Tuition Increases

There are many suspected reasons for the substantial increase in higher education costs over the past few decades. Research shows that the following might be major contributors to the astronomical rise in higher education costs. 

• More support services at colleges and universities. In addition to education and classes, higher education institutions are providing more and more support services for students. These include secure housing, mental health resources, career counseling, transportation, advising, and even child care. Schools need personnel to manage these resources, which increases the budgets of schools and often gets passed through to student bills. 
• Local and state funding changes. Many schools rely on funding from local and state governments in addition to tuition. In recent years, government funding made up 44 percent of funding for public four-year institutions and 55 percent for public two-year institutions. Governments can fluctuate the amount of funding they provide, and economic stress can cause funding to decrease. This means that more funds must come from student tuition. 
• Costs have increased for service industries. Education and teaching are, in essence, service industries, and keeping up with innovative trends for higher numbers of students can be challenging. To keep up, colleges and universities must increase their expenditures to remain competitive, and this also means the costs increase for students. 

With professor salaries increasing and the need for state-of-art facilities and technology, it is no surprise that colleges and universities are spending more to provide top-notch education to students. However, the increase in the quality of curriculum and programs also makes it less accessible for students whose families do not have the funds to cover tuition costs.

There are ways to approach higher education in a more affordable manner, such as by selecting an in-state public university instead of an out-of-state or private college. Some people opt to pay less for a two-year associate’s degree and then finish two years at a more expensive four-year institution. Taking advantage of all available grants and scholarships can also help more than most students realize. 

Costs of Higher Education in Texas

If you are a resident of Texas, you have many options when it comes to choosing an institution within Lone Star State. The following are some in-state options that Texas residents might consider and the total yearly costs for in-state residents for tuition, fees, room and board, and other imperative expenses:

• Angelo State University – $24,590
• Lamar University – $25,654
• Midwestern State University – $24,871
• Prairie View A&M University – $25,319
• Sam Houston State University – $27,188
• Stephen F. Austin State University – $25,142
• Sul Ross State University – $24,000
• Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College – $21,082
• Tarleton State University – $27,402
• Texas A&M University – $30,592
• Texas Southern University – $31,077
• Texas State University – $27,720
• Texas Tech University – $26,822
• Texas Woman’s University – $24,014
• The University of Texas at Austin – $29,628
• The University of Texas at El Paso – $27,418
• University of Houston – $28,902
• University of North Texas – $28,424

The average cost for Texas residents at an in-state public university is over $26,000, and out-of-state costs are significantly higher. Students should look for ways to subsidize their tuition, including through scholarship opportunities.

College and University Statistics

For the academic year of 2021-22, about 20.2 million people were enrolled in programs seeking undergraduate degrees across the United States. This is about 800,000 fewer students than those who were enrolled in the 2020-21 school year. 

About 9.2 million college students are female, and 6.65 million are male. Experts estimate these numbers will increase to around 9.76 million female students and 7.39 million male students by 2030. The majority of students (around 14 million) attend public universities, while about six million attend private colleges. 

The most in-demand college majors include:

• Engineering
• Business
• Nursing
• Education
• Hospitality
• Computer Science
• Architecture
• Pharmaceutical science
• Information & technology (IT)
• Construction management

In addition, about 2.4 million college graduates apply for advanced degree programs in 2021, including 1.6 million for master’s or professional degrees and 770,000 for doctoral programs. Many students who successfully complete their undergraduate degrees continue their education, which can increase their opportunities for higher earnings and career achievements even more. 

Do Not Hesitate to Apply for a Scholarship in Texas and New Mexico through Cesar Ornelas Injury Law

The legal team of Cesar Ornelas Injury Law knows it can be difficult to achieve your higher education dreams, especially if you are a first-generation college student or come from a family with a lower income. We believe that anyone should have the opportunity to earn a college degree regardless of their background.