UT Dallas Freshmen Terry Scholars

A new group of UT Dallas students has joined the list of Terry Scholars this fall, including the students shown above. Overall, the 116 scholars at the University will receive combined awards of more than $1.9 million this year.

UT Dallas welcomes 47 new Terry Scholars this fall, including 23 freshmen and 24 transfer-student scholarship recipients.

Overall, the 116 Terry Scholars enrolled at UT Dallas will receive combined awards of more than $1.9 million this year. Since 2006, the Terry Foundation has given the University’s scholars $5.7 million, a significant expansion from the original 11 scholarships awarded that first year.

Founded in 1986, the Houston-based Terry Foundation provides scholarships to help outstanding high school graduates attend public colleges and universities in Texas.

Terry Scholars are selected in part for their leadership potential, character and scholastic achievement. Of the freshman Terry Scholars — 18 women and five men — three are valedictorians.

The transfer-student scholars, whose average age is 27, bring experiences that provide different perspectives for the traditional scholars.

Blythe Torres, the program’s director, said the University’s partnership with the Terry Foundation is crucial to the scholars’ ability to attend UT Dallas. The scholarships cover a broad range of student expenses over four years of study, including tuition and fees, housing, books and living expenses.

“Without the Terry Foundation’s financial commitment, the scholars would have more arduous paths to earning their degrees,” Torres said.

“The Terry Scholars Program enables the scholars to be plugged into the academic, cultural and social activities of the University,” Torres said. “These activities promote intellectual growth and the cultural enrichment so important to their success at UT Dallas and in the larger community.”

The program also supports students attending the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas A&M University at College Station, the University of Houston, Texas State University, the University of North Texas, Texas Tech University, Texas Woman’s University, Sam Houston State University and Texas A&M University at Galveston.