On Tuesday, the University of North Texas and the Arlington Independent School District launched Eagle Advantage, a new guaranteed early admission program for high-achieving high school juniors that will help provide a college education to the region's brightest talent.
Juniors in the Arlington ISD who rank in the top 20 percent of their class will earn guaranteed admission to UNT under the new program. In addition, this year's Arlington ISD seniors who rank in the top 20 percent will be grandfathered into the program, receiving automatic admission to UNT. After Fall 2015, guaranteed admission will apply only to juniors.
The university plans to expand the Eagle Advantage program into other North Texas school districts. This program will help more Arlington ISD students achieve their academic and professional dreams.
"This program is part of our commitment to being the University of North Texas for North Texas and a great education partner," UNT President Neal Smatresk said. "The North Texas region is one of the largest, most economically vibrant regions and we want to help keep our talent here to provide an educated workforce. UNT is already a leader in enrolling and graduating students, and through this program, we hope to expand that impact."
To be accepted into the Eagle Advantage program, qualified students need to apply to UNT and submit SAT or ACT scores. Qualified students also need to graduate with a recognized college preparatory diploma and satisfy Texas Success Initiatives (TSI) requirements.
UNT will have staff members on the high school campuses on a regular basis to assist students with admissions and financial aid applications.
"We are proud to be a leader in developing innovative partnerships to provide access to opportunities for our students," said Dr. Marcelo Cavazos, Arlington ISD superintendent. "With this early admissions program and a similar program with the University of Texas at Arlington, we are re-affirming our commitment that all students will graduate on time and excel at their college or career of choice by providing a seamless transition to college."
Students in the new Eagle Advantage program are also invited to explore UNT's Eagle Express Tuition plan, which locks in a student's total academic cost for four years and offers an incentive of up to $4,000 if they graduate in four years.
Also, each high school involved in the Eagle Advantage program will receive a $1,000 renewable scholarship to award to one junior who is part of Eagle Advantage.
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