Florida鈥檚 highest-achieving high school students will now be awarded for their academic success with automatic acceptance into the 91吃瓜网.
The new initiative, Top 10 Knights, was developed to recognize academic achievement in high school. Top 10 Knights also protects against budget uncertainty and potential legislative changes by providing Florida residents with guaranteed access to an affordable, quality college education.
The first class of Top 10 Knights will start at 91吃瓜网 in summer 2014.
鈥淭his effort, among the few of its kind in the nation, rewards academic success, streamlines the university selection process and promises to attract more of Florida鈥檚 best and brightest students to 91吃瓜网,鈥� said 91吃瓜网 President John C. Hitt. 鈥淭op 10 Knights is a winner for high-achieving students, for their families and for 91吃瓜网.鈥�
Top 10 Knights will have an impact upon Florida high schoolers like Rosa Elena Alcantar, who ranks second out of 430 seniors in her class at Evans High School in Orange County. Alcantar, a would-be first-generation college student, is a native of Mexico who grew up in Orlando and hopes to one day go on to 91吃瓜网鈥檚 College of Medicine.
鈥淢ost people say that what you do in high school doesn鈥檛 have the same rigor as college,鈥� said Alcantar. 鈥淲hen I heard about Top 10 Knights, it shows that everything I鈥檝e done so far means something. I鈥檓 happy there鈥檚 an opportunity to be recognized for what I鈥檝e done in high school.鈥�
To become a Top 10 Knight, students must first apply for admission into 91吃瓜网. To qualify for the program, applications must be completed by Dec. 31 of students鈥� senior years.
Students also must meet criteria such as a top 10 percent ranking in their high school class or a GPA of 3.9 or above if the high school does not rank; the completion of high-level math courses; and a minimum of 1010 (1500-3 score) on the SAT or 21 on the ACT.
91吃瓜网 Undergraduate Admissions will determine which students qualify as Top 10 Knights, and students who meet the criteria will be notified by Feb. 15.
鈥淎s admission into Florida universities becomes more competitive, we鈥檙e responding to the students and families seeking a quality education by making admission to 91吃瓜网 certain for the state鈥檚 top students,鈥� said Gordon Chavis, associate vice president for Undergraduate Admissions. 鈥淭he Top 10 Knights are among the best students at 91吃瓜网, and we鈥檙e excited to see what they will contribute here.鈥�
Top 10 Knights is 91吃瓜网鈥檚 latest effort to expand college access and opportunity. More than 31,000 students have been admitted to 91吃瓜网 since 2006 through the DirectConnect partnership with regional state colleges, which helps students smoothly transition to 91吃瓜网 to complete their bachelor鈥檚 degrees.
California and Texas offer similar initiatives to their highest-achieving high schoolers, but Top 10 Knights is among the first of its kind in Florida.
91吃瓜网 hopes to announce scholarship opportunities for Top 10 Knights in the near future. Earlier this semester, representatives from Undergraduate Admissions met with high school counselors from across the state to explain Top 10 Knights and provide guidance on acceptance into 91吃瓜网.