Giving to SAC
90%
of SAC students receive financial aid, but still have a gap to cover costs.
$1.5M
of institutional aid awarded to a total of 856 students.
33%
of SAC students climb two or more levels of income after graduation.
Make History, Give Today.
We rely on the generosity and vision of donors, foundations, corporate partners and others to sustain and extend our mission. Thank you for considering a gift.
To learn more about donating by contacting St. Augustine College’s Director of Institutional Advancement.
Please Support Our Students With A Gift to the Annual Fund
A gift to the Annual Fund helps our bilingual students rise and ensures access and financial aid for future generations.
What It Means To Donate
A gift to the Annual Fund helps our bilingual students rise and ensures access and financial aid for future generations.
SAC is a federally-designated private, non-private four year Hispanic-Serving Institution (HIS) founded in 1980 in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood to provide low-income, bilingual Hispanic adults access to higher education. As a fully dual-language higher education institution designed to make the North American system of higher education accessible to a diverse student population with emphasis on those of Hispanic descent, St. Augustine College’s mission to “strengthen ethnic identity, to reinforce cultural interaction, and to build a bridge to fill cultural, educational, and socio-economic gaps” is emphasized by the fact that in 2019-2020, 81% of the student population was low-income Hispanic/ Latino.
With a Carnegie classification as Baccalaureate/ Associated Mixed, Private Not-For-Profit, 4-Year Institution, SAC remains faithful to its mission, serving low-income, academically talented adults who can benefit from dual-language, college-level education. Since 1980, over 7,000 low-income bilingual, bicultural students have graduated with associate’s and bachelor's degrees from St. Augustine College. SAC’s most distinctive feature has always been its intense focus on delivering bilingual college-level instruction and workforce education in culturally appropriate settings. At SAC, the majority of students are Hispanic, first-generation, low-income women. Our Spanish-language dominant students begin their coursework in their native language and by the time they graduate, students are fluent in English and in Spanish. For over a decade, low-income Hispanic students have accounted for 84% to 87% of the student body. In 2018-2019, 82% of SAC’s 1,076 students were Spanish-language dominant working women, 65% were first generation, and 76% had zero household contribution status (Pell and MAP).
All student support services, from scholarship support to the College’s free software and hardware technology equipment loan programs, reflect SAC’s commitment to serve a diverse student body, especially those of Hispanic descent. SAC’s 2019 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Undergraduate Student Profile is evidence of our model’s effectiveness: 86.9% agree that SAC met their educational needs and 89.3% agree that SAC was helping them achieve their life goals. SAC is a founding member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). In 2016, St. Augustine College was awarded the Excelencia in Education for its Bachelor of Social Work program. In 2018, St. Augustine College was named by Latino Leaders Magazine for the second time as one of the best colleges in the United States for Latinos.
FY23 Donor and Partners Honor Roll
Thanks for supporting the St. Augustine Scholarship Program
Thanks for supporting the St. Augustine Scholarship Program
Thanks for supporting the St. Augustine Scholarship Program
Thanks for supporting the St. Augustine Scholarship Program
Thanks for supporting the St. Augustine Scholarship Program
FY21 Donor and Partners Honor Roll
- Office of Representative Jesús “Chuy” García
- Office of State of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
- Ombudsman Chicago
- Organizational Harmony, Inc.
- Pedro Cevallos-Candau
- Prarie State College
- Presence Holy Family Medical Center
- Presence Resurrection Medical Center
- Presence St. Francis Hospital
- Private Illinois Colleges & Universities (PICU)
- Randy Barfield
- Rev. Clayton L. Thomason, J.D., M.Div
- Reyes M. Gonzalez
- Ricardo Mendoza
- Rincon Family Services
- Rotary Club of Chicago Northwest
- Saint Anthony Hospital
- Sindy Benavides
- South Suburban College
- Streator Township High School
- Sylvia Puente
- SynapSis RISE
- The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago
- The Honorable Gisselle Castillo-Veremis
- The Latino Policy Forum
- The Resurrection Project
- Triton College
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- University of Chicago Medicine
- University of Illinois Medical Center
- US Department of Labor WIOA
- Vista Medical Center
- Wintrust
Message Update on the COVID-19 Student Relief Fund
Dear Friends,
I hope and pray that you, your family, and friends are safe and healthy.
COVID-19 is impacting and touching all of us in many similar ways but, at the same time, its effect is also different for each individual. At St. Augustine, this disease is striking our students and families in devastating ways. As you may know, many members of our Latino communities have limited education; only approximately 11% of us have a college education. Most of our people work in the service industry, hotels and restaurants, which have been shut down due to COVID-19.
We have heard from students that both of their parents have been left without jobs. With nowhere to turn, they are suffering economically and mentally. At St. Augustine College, we are doing all we can in support of our people. We are now teaching online so that students can continue their education during this epidemic. Unfortunately, many of our students do not have computers. We had 25 old computers, so we repaired them and lent them to the students.
We are taking other actions to address specific problems.
In the summer, we are going to give additional institutional scholarships to close the gap between what students receive as financial aid and other out-of-pocket costs so students will not have to pay tuition.
We will allow students to take as many credit hours as they can when full-time students so they can finish their degrees as soon as possible, at no additional cost to them.
We will start special certificate programs to retool the skills of people who lost their jobs to allow them to move to different careers.
We will create a wellness center to provide mental support and other social services to students.
The need is massive, and that is why I am coming to you for help. I hope you will become an on-going supporter of St. Augustine College students. Today, more than ever, our students need your encouragement.
Areas of need:
COVID-19 STUDENT RELIEF FUND. These funds will help us to assist our students in completing their education and retooling their skills to obtain another job and be able to provide for the livelihood of their families.
ST. AUGUSTINE CARES UNDOCUMENTED STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND. Our task is to donate and/or share this fundraiser with your networks so we can ensure that St. Augustine’s undocumented families have funds to support their education so that they can concentrate on paying bills, rent, buying groceries, seeking medical care, etc.
MENTAL HEALTH WELLNESS FUND: Cada Mente Importa “Every Mind Matters.” These funds will help us provide psychological support to our students. These funds support a crisis phone line to support members of the Hispanic community affected by the economic consequences of fighting COVID-19. The Wellness Center is staffed by part-time bilingual and bi-cultural faculty members trained in community mental health counseling.
Please consider donating any amount to a purpose of your choice.
You can donate directly at www.staugustine.edu/giving-to-sac or by sending a check to 1345 W. Argyle Street, Chicago, IL 60640, ATTN: Advancement, or you can make special arrangements with Margaret Wenzel by contacting her at Mwenzel@staugustine.edu.
Thank you for your consideration and your support.
And may our Lord protect you and your family.
Dr. Reyes González
Support Our Students and Their Families Today.
We rely on the generosity and vision of donors, foundations, corporate partners and others to sustain and extend our mission. Thank you for considering a gift. To learn more about donating, contact St. Augustine College’s David Cordova, Associate Vice President of External Relations and Development, dcordova2@staugustine.lewisu.
