SCHOLARSHIPS IN THE HONORS COLLEGE

The Thomas F. Freeman Honors College has limited funds for scholarships.  In making these awards, the College principally considers the record of excellence, and potential for even greater excellence, of applicants.  The higher their high school grade point averages and SAT or ACT scores, the higher their awards.  The College also offers special bonuses to high school valedictorians or salutatorians.  The principal categories of scholarships for high school students, and their requirements and financial awards, are:

	REGULAR ADMISSION			CONDITIONAL ADMISSION
	ACT = AT LEAST 27* or SAT = AT LEAST 1400**	ACT = 23 – 26* or SAT = 1070 – 1399**		ACT less than 23* or SAT less than 1070**
GPA = 3.75 – 4.00	CATEGORY 1: $10,000	CATEGORY 2: $7,000		CATEGORY 7: $3,000
GPA = 3.60 – 3.749	CATEGORY 3: $7,000	CATEGORY 4: $6,000		CATEGORY 7: $3,000
GPA = 3.50 – 3.599	CATEGORY 5: $6,000	CATEGORY 6: $5,000		CATEGORY 7: $3,000
VALEDICTORIAN	Additional $5,000	Additional $5,000		No additional award
SALUTATORIAN	Additional $4,000	Additional $4,000		No additional award
* Composite Score			**  Mathematics and Critical Reading Scores

In addition to awards from the Honors College, students may secure help from a number of other sources.  
A.  For residents of Texas, state sources include:
1.  the Texas Grant, which, in general, pays for tuition and fees; and
2.  the Top Ten Percent Scholarship, for applicants in the top 10 percent of their graduating classes. 
B.  For residents of all states, sources include the federal Pell Grant and private philanthropic organizations.  The College also may recommend that non-resident students receive out-of-state tuition waivers (about $9,300 per year for those taking the minimum of 15 credit hours the College requires students to take each semester). 
Honors College students also may apply for awards from their academic units, and from specialized programs such as Athletics. Details are at http://em.tsu.edu/financialaid/scholarships/departmentalscholarships.php.

The total value of the scholarship and financial aid packages students receive depends on the number of sources from which they seek awards and the information they provide to these sources. Students who seek scholarships from the College must fill out and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, because the sizes of their total packages depend on information they provide in the FAFSA.  It also is extremely important that they use all available sources of financial assistance.  For information on these sources, visit the web site of the Office of Student Financial Aid at http://em.tsu.edu/financialaid/index.php?submenu=aid

Residential vs. Commuter, and In-state vs. Out-of-state, Awards

The College awards two groups of scholarships on the basis of whether students live on or off campus:
(a) residential scholarships go to students who choose to live on campus;
(b) commuter scholarships go to students who choose to live off campus.

The College awards two groups of scholarships on the basis of whether students are Texas residents:
(a) in-state scholarships go to students who are residents of the state of Texas;
(b) out-of-state scholarships go to students who are not residents of the state of Texas.

Admission and Assistance Application Procedure

Students receive financial assistance from the College after they receive admission into the university and the College.  They ideally would file their applications for the assistance from the College at the time they file their applications for admission into the College.

Students attending high school or another college or university, who meet admission requirements of the College, follow these steps:

apply for admission into the university;

b.     receive an offer of admission from the university;
c.     receive an invitation to apply for admission into the Honors College (not absolutely necessary);
d.     submit the special application for admission into and assistance from the College;
e.     receive responses to their applications for admission (and for assistance) from the Honors College.

Students attending Texas Southern University gain admission into the College through these steps:
a.     receive an invitation to apply for admission into the Honors College (not absolutely necessary);
b.     submit the special application for admission into and assistance from the College;
c.     receive responses to their application for admission (and for assistance) from the Honors College.

Admission and Scholarship Deadlines and Priorities

The Honors College gives the greatest priority to admitting and supporting first-semester freshmen who enter the College immediately after their senior year in high school – especially those who apply for Honors College admission and an Honors College scholarship before March 31.  The College considers admitting other students and providing scholarships to them only after it has offered admission and given awards to high school seniors.  The table below shows the deadlines and priorities for different categories of students. The application form is available here.

APPLICANT CATEGORY	DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION	DEADLINE FOR NOTIFICATION	PRIORITY
High School Students *	Mar. 31	May 31	1 (HIGHEST)
Freshmen (planning to continue at TSU) *	May 31	June 30	2 (SECOND)
Freshmen (planning to transfer to TSU) *	May 31	June 30	2 (SECOND)
Sophomores (planning to continue at TSU) *	May 31	June 30	3 (THIRD)
Sophomores (planning to transfer to TSU) *	May 31	June 30	3 (THIRD)
Returning Students (no academic difficulty)	June 30	July 31	4 (FOURTH)
Returning Students (with academic difficulty)	June 30	July 31	5 (LOWEST)
* will enter the College in next fall semester

SPECIAL NOTE ON FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

If a student receives a scholarship through the Thomas F. Freeman Honors College, it is with the condition that the student will first enroll in Texas Southern University in the fall semester of the academic year the scholarship covers.  The University consid­ers the Honors College scholarship to be part of the total finan­cial aid package.  Federal and state financial aid programs require that students not receive financial aid in excess of their finan­cial need, as determined by their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If a student should receive finan­cial aid through Texas South­ern University, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will determine whether the award from the Honors Col­lege necessitates a revision of the financial aid package.  This may result in the adjustment of the Honors College award.