For high school seniors planning to attend MTSU in the 2013-14 academic year and wanting first priority for freshman academic scholarships, the deadline to apply is Saturday, Dec. 1.
Completed applications must be postmarked Dec. 1 or delivered to the Office of Admissions by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, said Melinda Thomas, MTSU director of recruiting.
Included in the scholarships is the Buchanan Fellowship for top scholars. The Buchanan Fellowship is MTSU’s highest academic award for first-time freshmen who meet academic requirements. Recipients are selected by the University Honors College, with funding provided through the financial aid office.
Freshman academic scholarships include National Merit/Achievement/Hispanic; Chancellor; Presidential; Academic Service; and Provost. Visit http://www.mtsu.edu/scholarships/freshman.php online for more details.
The impending Dec. 1 deadline “will be a pivotal point for many prospective students,” Thomas said. “We want them (prospective students) to have access to the maximum amount of scholarship dollars, so that’s why we encourage them to complete their admission’s file by the deadline.
“Many students do not realize that every year there are thousands of dollars available to offset the cost of their college education. But, for a variety of reasons, the (Dec. 1) deadline is ignored by many. The pools of scholarship dollars begin to dry up as we move farther away from the priority deadline.”
Not including the Buchanan Fellowship, the yearly monetary awards range from $1,000 for International Baccalaureate to $6,000 for National Merit/Achievement. The awards for these scholarships primarily are based on high-achieving students’ grade point averages and ACT/SAT scores.
Other scholarships — including DREAM and Foundation — have a Feb. 15 deadline. In general, department scholarships for music, ROTC and athletics have a Feb. 15 deadline, but they can vary.
Prospective students who apply between Dec. 2 and Feb. 15 may not be awarded a freshman academic scholarship.
To be considered for scholarships, an admissions application (with $25 fee), transcript and ACT/SAT must be submitted.
The following websites will be helpful in trying to meet the Dec. 1 deadline: http://www.mtsu.edu/applynow/, http://www.mtsu.edu/admissn/, http://www.mtsu.edu/financialaid/ and http://www.mtsu.edu/scholarships/.