Georgia Tech will offer automatic acceptance and full, four-year tuition scholarships to all Atlanta Public Schools valedictorians and salutatorians.
The initiative is intended to increase “exposure and access to Georgia Tech for Atlanta Public Schools’ most prepared students,” according to a district statement.
To qualify for the offer, students must also complete Georgia Tech’s prerequisite course work and admission process. Students who qualify under the program can begin classes at Georgia Tech starting summer 2015.
Georgia high school valedictorians and salutatorians are already eligible for full-tuition scholarships to Georgia Tech and other state schools through existing state scholarship programs. Under the APS Scholars program announced Thursday, Georgia Tech will guarantee APS valedictorians and salutatorians can still receive full-tuition scholarships for four years even if their grade point averages fall short of state scholarship requirements. APS Scholars will have to maintain GPAs of at least 3.0.
About 38 students a year—the number-one and number-two students at each of Atlanta’s 19 high schools—would be eligible for Georgia Tech’s offer.
This fall, just 13 Atlanta graduates will enroll at Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech in-state freshman tuition is $9,002. The university puts the total cost of attendance — including fees, books and housing and meal expenses — at about $25,000 a year.
Officials from both institutions announced the new program this morning at a press conference at Atlanta’s Booker T. Washington High School.
“Through a combination of the various financial aid opportunities available, including our own Georgia Tech Promise Program, the Governor’s REACH Georgia Program and other state and federal financial aid programs, we will help ensure that these students can make a Georgia Tech degree a reality,” Georgia Tech President Bud Peterson said in a written statement.
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