Figure: 19 TAC §61.1201(a)(1)

EXPLANATION OF AUTOMATIC COLLEGE ADMISSION AND CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS

FOR FINANCIAL AID FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Automatic Admission Requirements

In accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), §51.803, a student is eligible for automatic admission to a Texas public

college or university as an undergraduate student if the student earned a grade point average in the top 10 percent of

the student's high school graduating class or in the percentage of qualified applicants that are anticipated to be offered

admission to the University of Texas at Austin*, and the applicant

(1)

successfully completed the requirements for the Recommended High School Program (RHSP) or the

Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP);

(2)

earned the distinguished level of achievement under the Foundation High School Program; or

(3)

satisfied ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks on the ACT assessment or earned on the SAT assessment a

score of at least 1,500 out of 2,400 or the equivalent.

High school rank for students seeking automatic admission to a general academic teaching institution is determined and

reported as follows.

(1)

Class rank must be based on the student’s rank at the end of the 11th grade, middle of the 12th grade, or at

high school graduation, whichever is most recent at the application deadline.

(2)

The top 10 percent of a high school class cannot contain more than 10 percent of the total class size.

(3)

The student's rank must be reported by the student's high school or school district as a specific number out

of a specific number total class size.

(4)

Class rank shall be determined by the school or school district from which the student graduated or is

expected to graduate.

A student is considered to have satisfied the course requirements of the RHSP, DAP, or the distinguished level of

achievement under the Foundation High School Program if the student completed the portion of those programs that was

available to the student but which the student was unable to complete because the courses were unavailable as a result of

circumstances not within the student's control.

To qualify for automatic admission an applicant must

(1)

submit an application before the deadline established by the Texas college or university to which the student

seeks admission; and

(2)

provide a high school transcript or diploma that indicates whether the student has satisfied or is on schedule to

satisfy the requirements of the RHSP, DAP, or the distinguished level of achievement under the Foundation

High School Program or the portion of the requirements of those programs that was available to the student.

Texas colleges and universities are required to admit an applicant for admission as an undergraduate student if the

applicant is the child of a public servant who was killed or sustained a fatal injury in the line of duty and meets the

minimum requirements, if any, established by the governing board of the college or university for high school or prior

college- level grade point average and performance on standardized tests.

* The University of Texas at Austin (UT) is not required to automatically admit applicants in excess of 75% of its enrollment capacity

for first-time resident undergraduate students. Should the number of applicants who qualify for automatic admission exceed 75% of

enrollment capacity, UT must provide notice of the percentage of qualified applicants that are anticipated to be offered admission.

State Financial Aid Programs with Curriculum Requirements

Under TEC, Title 3, there are several state financial aid programs available for Texas public high school students.

The following state financial aid programs include certain curriculum requirements to be considered when planning a

student’s high school career to ensure eligibility for financial aid under one of these programs. Please note that this

is not a complete list of requirements and additional eligibility requirements apply. A full list of requirements is

available through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s financial aid webpage at

http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/apps/financialaid/tofa2.cfm?ID=458.

Individuals interested in the following financial aid opportunities are strongly encouraged to check the status

of each grant program for the anticipated year(s) of enrollment in an institution of higher education at

http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/apps/financialaid/tofa2.cfm?ID=458

Texas B-On-Time (BOT):

Applicants must meet one of the following academic requirements:

Graduated in the 2002–2003 academic year or later under the RHSP or DAP, or its equivalent

Earned an associate’s degree from an eligible institution no earlier than May 1, 2005

Top Ten Percent Scholarship

To receive an initial award through the Top 10 Percent Scholarship Program, a student must have graduated while

ranked in the top 10 percent of his or her graduating class and completed the RHSP or DAP curriculum or earned the

distinguished level of achievement on the Foundation High School Program (or the equivalent) at an accredited public

high school in Texas, or the equivalent at an accredited private high school in Texas.

TEXAS Grant

Basic Initial Year (IY) Student Eligibility Curriculum Requirements

A student must complete the Foundation High School Program, RHSP, or DAP (or the equivalent).

Priority Model Initial Year (IY) Student Curriculum Eligibility Requirements

In addition to the basic initial year (IY) student eligibility requirements, to receive priority consideration for an IY award

through the TEXAS Grant Program, a student must meet at least one requirement in at least two of the four following

areas:

AREA

REQUIREMENT(S)

Advanced

Academic

Program

Earn 12 hours of college credit (dual credit or AP courses), complete the

Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP), or complete the International

Baccalaureate (IB) Program

TSI Readiness

Meet the Texas Success Initiatives (TSI) assessment thresholds or qualify for an

exemption

Class Standing

Graduate in the top one/third of the HS graduating class or have a B average

Advanced Math

Complete at least one math course beyond Algebra II as determined by the Texas

Education Agency (TEA) or complete at least one advanced career and technical

course, as determined by TEA

A full list of TEXAS Grant eligibility requirements is provided at

http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/apps/financialaid/tofa2.cfm?ID=458

My signature below constitutes my acknowledgement that I have been provided with a copy of the explanation of

automatic college admission and curriculum requirements for financial aid form.

Date

Signature

of Student

Date

Signature

of Parent or Guardian

Date_

Signature

of School Counselor