A Sincere Effort
University of Texas officials also started a scholarship program called the "Longhorn Opportunity Scholarships" that provides $16,000 over four years for one student at each of 49 underrepresented high schools. Texas has 1,700 high schools.
Burt says that both the Top 10 bill passed by the state Legislature and the Longhorn scholarships offer high school students a chance to qualify for the prestigious university by competing with peers at their home high school rather than students from across the state and the nation.
He believes that sincere interest from university officials combined with lucrative financial aid packages are powerful recruiting tools that have helped the university overcome the stigma it received because of Hopwood.
"I knew we would be able to go into these high schools and say, ‘I'm going to give two scholarships to this high school,'" he says.
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