By Brent Lyday
Commerce – Fifty high-caliber incoming freshmen with an average class ranking of 4.7 percent will be entering Texas A&M University-Commerce after being accepted into the Honors College for fall 2010. Each student will receive a tuition free college education and residential housing.
"A&M-Commerce offers programs and majors students want," said Dr. Raymond Green, Honors College dean. "The Honors College scholarship is comprehensive and covers virtually all costs for the students. This is particularly important as our students and families try to navigate their way through difficult economic times."
The 26 female and 24 male students were accepted after achieving an ACT score of 27 or higher or an SAT score of 1200. Students also graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class and must be committed to four years with the Honors College program.
In addition, the Regents Scholars Program, designed to offer a competitive scholarship and intriguing program to students who apply to the Honors College but do not get accepted, will be enrolling 30 incoming students with similar high marks. The group's average class ranking is 7.6 percent.
"These are fantastic students who, in the past, weren't attending our university," Green said. "In past years, students who did not receive the Honors College scholarship usually didn't come here because they received quality scholarships at other universities. These intelligent, hard working students could go to virtually any university in the United States, but they chose to come here."
The Honors College started in 2007 and has seen a rise in GPA and SAT scores from its students each year. In 2009, 19 out of the 50 freshmen completed the fall semester with a 4.0 GPA.
"While the students are here they will excel in classes and become leaders on campus," Green said. "I'm so proud of the students and impressed with the university's renewed commitment to excellence."