Texas Tech officials hope to draw in more high-achieving freshmen this fall with a 64-percent funding increase for merit scholarships.
The university increased its scholarship distribution to $12 million to compete with other universities in attracting merit scholars. Tech already offers one of the strongest merit scholarship programs in the Big 12, according to the university's admissions Web site, www.admissions.ttu.edu. The increased funds to merit scholarships will allow Tech to guarantee a reward for incoming freshmen students in the Top 15 percent of their graduating class who have a composite ACT score of 26, or a 1200 on the math and critical reading portions of the SAT.
Rob Shindell, associate vice president in the Office of Admissions, said he believes the increase in the dollar amount and range of the award is "a great thing for Texas Tech."
It allows the university to be more competitive, and I think it rewards students who want to come to Texas Tech," he said.
Students with this academic qualification will be awarded $8,000 for four years. However; incoming freshmen with higher test scores can earn up to $30,000 for five years. Before the funding increased, the university's merit scholars program offered financial awards to students in the Top 10 percent of their class, according to the release.
"We are addressing the needs of an extra 5 percent of students," Shindell said. "There's no other school in Texas that does that."
The increase in funding will allow the university to include more academically successful students, he said.
Becky Wilson, managing director in the department of Student Financial Aid, said the department could see approximately 100 more students than it has seen in the past.
Admissions and Student Financial Aid staff hope the new requirements will be more inclusive and will attract more students to attend Tech, Wilson said.
"Merit scholarships, of course, are not the only scholarships we offer, but we hope to attract merit students," she said. "We want to be able to offer qualified students assistance in paying tuition."
Other than merit-based scholarships, the university offers scholarships for financial need and community involvement, Wilson said. Tech awards almost 7,000 scholarships every year, and Wilson said she believes an increased range and dollar amount for scholarship awards will make the university more competitive.
"We're trying to attract qualified students to Texas Tech," she said. "Anytime we do that, it is an investment in our students and our institution."
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