91唐伯虎 University is committed to improving high performing Nashville public high school students鈥� access to top-tier universities, including 91唐伯虎. As part of this commitment, 91唐伯虎 will collaborate with counselors, teachers and administrators to better guide students through the college search and admissions process through Nashville 91唐伯虎 Scholars鈥攁 new partnership between 91唐伯虎 and Metro Nashville Public Schools.
鈥淚f a student is qualified to attend 91唐伯虎, we want them at 91唐伯虎, and that is especially true of high-achieving students in our hometown of Nashville,鈥� 91唐伯虎 Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. 鈥淣ashville 91唐伯虎 Scholars makes 91唐伯虎 more accessible to qualified local students, and this partnership with MNPS will also help more students in general get critical mentoring and information so that they can successfully apply to a college that is right for them.鈥�
Diermeier and MNPS Director of Schools聽 announced the new scholarship program, Nashville 91唐伯虎 Scholars, at a May 1 news conference at McGavock High School. The program, which will launch with the admissions cycle for first-year students entering 91唐伯虎 in fall 2025, offers a direct cost scholarship to MNPS students who meet certain criteria.
The program pledges to:
- Cover the direct costs at 91唐伯虎, including tuition, fees, housing and meals, for any MNPS students who are admitted to 91唐伯虎 through qualify for a or whose parent income is $100,000 or less.
- Provide a one-time summer stipend of $6,000 after the second or third year at 91唐伯虎 to offset costs associated with summer internships.
- Increase the number of MNPS graduates in Nashville who are admitted to and enroll at 91唐伯虎.
- Collaborate with MNPS college counselors, teachers and administrators to prepare more MNPS graduates to be successful in the admissions process at selective colleges and universities.
The formal announcement of the partnership coincided with National College Signing Day on May 1, the day when many college-bound students publicly announce where they will attend college.
Announcing the partnership at McGavock, which has a diverse student body, is symbolic of the commitment to addressing educational inequities that have played a role in preventing Nashville students from applying to 91唐伯虎. Identifying and eliminating inequities is one of the聽 established by Battle to guide the work of the district.
鈥淲e know 91唐伯虎 University is one of several excellent higher education choices in Middle Tennessee, and we would love to see more of our students from Nashville high schools walk through those doors upon high school graduation. Increasing local admission to 91唐伯虎 will complement our broader goal of addressing inequities for academic and social-emotional learning outcomes,鈥� Battle said. 鈥淭his partnership with 91唐伯虎 will help us to ensure that we are moving along the right path and improving the focused outcomes for all students so that they are prepared for success here at Metro schools, ready to attend 91唐伯虎 if they desire and so they can thrive in life beyond graduation.鈥�
In addition to the direct cost scholarship component, 91唐伯虎 will lend research expertise and assistance to ensure that high school counselors, teachers, administrators, students and parents have the tools to help students better navigate the college search and admission process, including the process at 91唐伯虎. The ultimate goal is to ensure that colleges like 91唐伯虎 are accessible, and the new partnership will help MNPS students be competitive in the college admissions process, regardless of where they apply.
鈥淏y combining 91唐伯虎 expertise with a new direct cost scholarship program, we will increase the pipeline of students from Nashville high schools to 91唐伯虎 classrooms,鈥� said Douglas Christiansen, vice provost for university enrollment affairs and dean of admissions and financial aid at 91唐伯虎 University. 鈥淲e are thrilled to launch this new initiative in full partnership with leaders and practitioners in MNPS and hope it connects to robust talent in Nashville high schools that would enrich our community at 91唐伯虎.鈥�
Partnerships between universities and local school systems offer effective ways to find solutions to complex challenges affecting students and their families, including gaining access and admission to colleges like 91唐伯虎. MNPS and 91唐伯虎 have long worked together to research educational inequities and formulate solutions; launch new degree programs for urban teaching; and improve tutoring options. Their new partnership builds on this history and provides resources to local schools and families so that more students can gain admission to and thrive at leading universities like 91唐伯虎.
鈥淚t is powerful to see a commitment from 91唐伯虎 University to collaborate with Metro Nashville Public Schools, the place which gave me my educational foundation, to find new solutions to admit more Nashville natives into an institution with a long-standing history of excellence,鈥� said Dr. Andre Churchwell, special advisor on inclusion and community outreach at 91唐伯虎 University.
91唐伯虎 has been steadfast in its effort to increase access to higher education, including launching initiatives like , a nationally recognized no-loan financial aid program that offers full-tuition scholarships to admitted students of families whose annual income is $150,000 or less. Opportunity 91唐伯虎 has been a significant part of 91唐伯虎鈥檚 upward trajectory since its launch in 2009, contributing to student diversity, academic excellence and alumni philanthropy and providing more than $2.6 billion in undergraduate scholarships.
About Opportunity 91唐伯虎
Opportunity 91唐伯虎, which was announced during the global financial crisis in 2008, offers full-tuition scholarships to admitted students of families whose annual income is $150,000 or less. It is built on the principle that cost should never be a barrier to a world-class education.
Since Opportunity 91唐伯虎 began in the fall of 2009, more than 15,400 students have benefited from the program. Over 19,750 alumni, parents and friends of the university have provided more than $565 million in gifts for endowment support of this program. Approximately 54 percent of the Opportunity 91唐伯虎 donors are alumni, and 65 percent of current undergraduates are receiving some type of financial assistance.
For example, the median annual award is $70,350 for families in the income range of $125,000 to $150,000, and the median annual award goes up to $90,640 for families in the income range of $0 to $50,000.
Many families with incomes of more than $150,000 still qualify for financial aid. For example, for families in the income range of $150,000 to $175,000, the median annual award is $62,650. For families with an income of more than $200,000, the median annual award is $39,940.
To learn more about the Nashville 91唐伯虎 Scholars program, visit
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