Eligibility

To be considered for the Terry Scholarship as an incoming freshman, you must:

• be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• be a Texas resident.
• have a record of leadership in school and community.
• demonstrate strong academic abilities, as evidenced by grades.
• hold a minimum GPA of 3.5.
• demonstrate financial need AND complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• be admitted to UNT as a full-time student in the fall semester of the year awarded.
• reside on campus for the first year at UNT in the Terry Scholar wing of Rawlins Hall and participate in the Terry freshman discovery seminar Honors 1500, which satisfies the University's "Discovery" component of the Core Requirements.
• be a graduate from a Texas high school, or be homeschooled while residing in the state of Texas and receive a Texas high school diploma or equivalent.

Selection Criteria

The University of North Texas will recommend candidates to the Terry Foundation, which will review the nominations and interview candidates before making awards. The selection criteria used by the Foundation include financial need, academic achievement, and demonstrated leadership potential. Although financial need is an important factor in the selection process, a student need not qualify for federal assistance in order to meet the Terry Scholar selection criteria. Please know that the University of North Texas serves as a nominating body only; the Terry Foundation makes all final decisions regarding scholarship awards.

Application Summary and Deadlines

• Complete and submit your application for admission to UNT no later than Dec. 1, 2020.
• Receive admission to the University of North Texas no later than Jan. 1, 2021 (giving you ample time to apply).  You must be accepted to UNT to be eligible to apply for the Terry Scholarship.
• To be considered, submit your completed Terry Scholarship application together with your other supporting materials, electronically to the UNT Honors College: C/O Valerie Adell  by 12 midnight , Jan. 15, 2021. 
• Your application must be filled out completely to be considered. All of your transcripts and letters of recommendation must be in, electronically, by the 12-midnight January 15, 2021 deadline. There will be no exceptions to this deadline. Transcripts must be sent to Valerie.Adell@unt.edu.
• Provide two (2) letters of recommendation to Valerie Adell (Valerie.Adell@unt.edu) by 12-midnight, Jan. 15, 2021. The letters MUST be submitted by the recommenders by that precise time. Late letters will disqualify applicants.  It will thus be your responsibility to check with your recommenders, a week in advance of the deadline, to make sure that their letters are in our possession by the deadline.  Letters in transit will be deemed late. 
• File a FAFSA online between Oct. 1, 2020 and Jan. 15, 2021.
• Apply for on-campus housing no later than March 31, 2021. For more information, please refer to the UNT Housing website. First year Terry Scholars are required to live on-campus in a designated Terry Scholar living-learning community.

The Terry Foundation does not accept applications directly from students. Further information about the Terry Foundation may be found on their website.

Submitting your Terry Foundation Freshman Application

As you prepare your application, you are advised to download and save a copy of it so that you can prepare a rough draft with full and complete answers before submitting those online. When you are satisfied with your answers, you should begin the online application. Be sure to edit your essays carefully and stay within in the word limits. At the end of each essay response that has a word limit, state the number of words you have used.
*When filling out the application online, be sure to hit the “next” or “previous” page buttons, NOT the browser’s “back” button. You could lose your work if you hit the back button. * 
 

Completed applications are composed of the following components:

1. Application - Complete, digitally sign and electronically submit your application.
2. Official Transcripts - Submit official transcripts from every high school or college you have attended to Valerie Adell (Valerie.Adell@unt.edu). Applicants will be contacted if there are any questions. If you do not have direct access to your official transcript, you are responsible for having that sent by your high school by the stated deadline. Your high school should forward an official copy, via email PDF, to Ms. Adell.  
3. Two Letters of Recommendation – At least one of your letters should be written by one of your core subject teachers (English, math, history, science, language). Both letters should speak to your academic and leadership abilities. These letters must be sent by the recommenders to Valerie Adell via email (Valerie.Adell@unt.edu) You are responsible for confirming, in advance, that your recommenders have sent their letters. Letters of recommendation must be received by the 12-midnight deadline of Jan. 15, 2021.

*Remember: Your application must be filled out completely to be considered. All of your transcripts, and letters of recommendation must be in by the 12-midnight January 15th, 2021 deadline. There will be no exceptions to this deadline.*