8 Facts Every High School Counselor Needs to Know About Tarleton

As a former public school teacher, I have seen just how much effort counselors put into educating their students about college. My name is Brianna McDowell and I am a P-16 Coordinator in the Division of Enrollment Management at Tarleton State University. I want to share with you 8 facts that every high school counselor should know about Tarleton.

Virtual Tours and Events 

We offer a variety of ways for students to engage with the campus and university life. Our Welcome Center on campus is the hub for campus tours and where our admissions counselors are housed. 

Visit here to check out the types of tours offered. We have a number of options to see campus. One that may be specific to you would be our Group Tour option. By signing up for a group tour you are able to arrange 10-50 students a guided walking tour of campus. 

Looking to have a Tarleton representative on your campus? Find your region’s admissions counselor here. Our counselors are excited to help students learn more about Tarleton and the admissions/enrollment process. We also have a Mobile Welcome Center that is designed to travel across Texas and share the vision of Tarleton! 

Photo of a Tarleton State campus tour

Deadlines and Requirements 

Admissions Requirements for First-Time Freshman can be viewed here.

FAFSA Priority Dates:

  • January 15th
  • Application Opens: October 1st

Texas Grant Priority Date:

  • January 15th

Scholarship Priority Dates:

  • Early Consideration Date: December 15th
  • Priority Dates: (Fall Semester) February 15th (Spring Semester) December 1st

Housing Application Opens:

  • September 1st

Testing 

That dreaded topic, testing. It must be done and it’s strenuous on not only students but counselors too. Tarleton is test optional which means that undergraduate admission will not require an SAT or ACT test score. Please let your students know that scholarships can increase by submitting their test scores! 

TSI– Texas Success Initiative, is taken prior to a student’s first semester to determine their levels in Reading, Math, and Writing. This is required by all students unless they have an exemption.

  • Students can register to test at the Tarleton Testing Center.
  • If your student has already tested, have them fill out the TSI Release Form. We can download their scores for them and remove their hold. 
  • We are a part of the Texas College Bridge program and will accept TSI credit from the program.
Photo of Tarleton President with students on first day of class

Transcripts 

  • An official final transcript must be submitted to the university. There are instructions on our website stating what is an official final transcript and how to submit it. 
  • Dual Credit– Students are responsible for sending official transcripts from every institution they have attended.
  • Course Credit– Can include CLEP Credit, AP Credit, SAT Credit, Technical or Vocational Credit, and American COuncil on Education (ACE)

Financial Aid 

We offer over $106 million in student aid and our office is happy to help any students with the financial aid process. We have a number of financial aid resources for you and your students to utilize:

Types of Aid

FAFSA Application

FAFSA Timeline 

Financial Aid Award Video 

Cost of Attendance 

Scholarships 

We have one general scholarship application that will put students in the pool for over $7 million in scholarship money. We encourage students to fill out this application by February 15th of their senior year. 

Scholarship Guaranteed Award Program (GAP): Awarding students graduating within the top 50% of their class a guaranteed scholarship award. 

Tarleton Promise Program: Covers the remaining bills including tuition, room and board, dining, required fees, and a stipend for books. 

If you have a student that is interested in transferring after attending a community college, we have a guaranteed award program (T-GAP) for transfer students that have a GPA of at least 2.0!

Photo of student graduating and showing off alumni ring

We are here to help

We want you to know that we are here to help you as well as the students through this process! 

Helpful links:

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! I encourage you to subscribe to the blog to receive more helpful information to share with your students! If your students want to request more information, have them fill out the form here. We hope to meet you or see you on the road! 

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