October 31, 2006

The University of Texas at Austin recognized with "Commitment to Student Success" award for 2006

Round Rock, Texas — For each of the past three years, the Commitment to Student Success Award has recognized extraordinary performance in the areas of debt management and default prevention. This year, The University of Texas at Austin (UT) received the award for its Pathways to Progress Program.

The Council for the Management of Educational Finance and TG established the award to acknowledge postsecondary institutions that implement debt management strategies designed to have a broad-based, long-term effect on student success in loan repayment, rather than a limited focus on improving the school's two-year cohort default rate.

The Pathways to Progress Program exemplifies true collaboration between departments on campus to ensure a student's success in loan repayment and debt management. Developed in 2004 by the UT financial aid staff, the program is based on the philosophy that students who succeed academically are likely to remain eligible for financial aid, graduate from college, and manage their student debt successfully after graduation.

In line with this philosophy, at the end of every fall semester, UT identifies all freshman financial aid recipients who have two or more F's. In an effort to assist students in improving their grades and thus prevent them from losing financial aid eligibility, this population of students is required to participate in the Pathways to Progress Program. Among various strategies and activities, the program requires that students

• Meet with professors at the beginning of the semester to establish communication from the start;
• Consult with academic advisors during the semester to ensure that the student is on the right track;
• Participate in academic enrichment activities such as tutoring and time-management workshops;
• Consult with financial aid advisors and develop a budget to track use of financial resources; and
• Attend money management workshops.

Since the program's inception, nearly 300 students have benefited, with more than 70 percent having raised their GPAs within one year.

For more information about the Commitment to Student Success Award, contact Maria Luna-Torres, director for educational finance initiatives, at maria.luna-torres@tgslc.org or (800) 252-9743, ext. 4632.

-30-

About TG: TG is a public, nonprofit corporation that helps create access to higher education for millions of families and students through its role as an administrator of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). Its vision is to be the premier source of information, financing, and assistance to help all families and students realize their educational and career dreams. Additional information about TG can be found online at www.tgslc.org. This press release can be downloaded from www.tgslc.org/newsroom/.

Back to Top

Download this press release in Adobe PDF

Contact:
Kristin Boyer
TG
(512) 219-4990
(800) 252-9743, ext. 4990
kristin.boyer@tgslc.org