STEPHENVILLE — As part of efforts to boost educational opportunities for transfer students who graduate from two-year schools, Tarleton State University is offering top community colleges in Texas an opportunity to become Distinguished College Partners.
The partnership provides annual scholarships, from $500 to $2,000, to transfer students with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Awards will be divided between fall and spring semesters based on enrollment and will be renewable up to three years with satisfactory academic progress.
The multimillion-dollar investment aligns with the 122-year vision of Tarleton’s founder to provide a high-quality university education to students who otherwise might not have the chance.
“John Tarleton dreamed of an institution of opportunity — a comprehensive regional university,” said President James Hurley. “It’s important that we continue to deepen our historic commitment to educational attainment and affordability. Many transfer students are the first in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree. They’re forging a path for generations to come.”
McLennan Community College in Waco cemented its Distinguished College Partnership on Tuesday, with more of Tarleton’s top academic partners — Tarrant County College and Navarro, Hill and Blinn colleges, among others — expected to ink agreements.
Long-standing program-specific pathways between Tarleton and two-year schools are making it easier for transfer students to fulfill their educational dreams while saving dollars and class hours. For example, a pathway for students enrolled in TCC’s nursing program ensures they meet requirements to complete their bachelor’s degree at Tarleton. There are pathways for business, education, criminal justice and psychology, too.
Dual admission, joint advising, reverse transfer and financial aid consortiums also hallmark Tarleton’s collaborative initiatives with two-year institutions — all helping the university become a first-choice destination for transfer students.
Tarleton’s number of spring 2021 transfer students, from 75 Texas colleges and universities, is up 8.6 percent from just five years ago. And the graduation rate for students who transfer to Tarleton with 30 or more credit hours — near 70 percent — tops the state average by almost eight points.
“As a transfer-friendly, student-centric university, we’re committed to decreasing the time from application to admission, and to increase financial assistance,” Dr. Hurley said. “Helping students in our own backyard is the right thing to do. We have a social and economic responsibility to invest in their future.
“Beginning at a two-year institution can be a cost-saving move toward a bachelor’s degree. At Tarleton we’re working to ensure it is effective.”
Tarleton’s Distinguished College Partnership complements the President’s Transfer Guaranteed Award Program. T-GAP assures scholarships ranging from $250 to $1,500 per year for students admitted from two-year colleges. Award amounts are enhanced for students graduating from one of Tarleton’s Distinguished College Partners.
For more information on T-GAP, go to https://www.tarleton.edu/becomeatexan/Transfer-GAP.html.
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