Prospective students in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Atlanta, Georgia, area who are considering Middle Tennessee State University learned about new and existing incentives that may make their decision a little easier.

MTSU visited Chattanooga Tuesday, Oct. 16, and Atlanta Wednesday, Oct. 17, during the seventh and eighth stops on the True Blue Tour recruiting visit to court prospective students in southeast Tennessee and in Georgia as part of a 14-city venture.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee addresses the crowd attending the True Blue Tour event Oct. 17 in Atlanta, Ga. (MTSU photo by Randy Weiler)

The Chattanooga visit was at the Chattanooga Convention Center, 1 Carter Plaza. Wednesday, the Atlanta True Blue Tour stop was at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Perimeter at Villa Christina, 4000 Summit Blvd.

At both venues, MTSU hosted receptions for high school and transfer students and their families and also luncheons for counselors and community college staff.

The True Blue Tour events are free. To register for the reception or counselor luncheon, visit www.mtsu.edu/rsvp. Public, private, homeschool and transfer students are welcome.

Attendees will learn about the recently announced and expanded Presidential Scholarship, move that will more than double the amount awarded to some high-ability freshmen who enroll next fall.

The Presidential Scholarship, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said, will increase to $18,000 in total value, paid out to eligible incoming freshmen at $4,500 a year for four years. Students must have a 3.5 high school GPA and score between 25 and 29 on the ACT to qualify for the expanded award.

Deb Sells, left, vice president of Student Affairs at MTSU, directs Chris Smith, 17, a Red Bank senior, to a specific section he’s looking for at the True Blue Tour stop in Chattanooga Oct. 16. (MTSU photo by Randy Weiler)

MTSU will guarantee the scholarship to all students who apply to the university before Dec. 1 and meet the eligibility criteria.To apply, visit www.mtsu.edu/applynow.

“With these enhancements, the Presidential Scholarship becomes the largest guaranteed academic award given by any public university in Tennessee to students with these credentials,” McPhee said.

The Presidential Scholarship previously only paid $4,000 a year to students with ACT scores of 28 to 29. The expanded award now replaces two of MTSU’s previous guaranteed scholarships: True Blue, which paid $3,000 a year to students scoring 26 or 27 on the ACT and Provost, which paid $2,000 a year to students with an ACT of 25.

MTSU will continue to offer students making an ACT score of 30 and above, along with at least a 3.5 high school GPA, its guaranteed Trustees Scholarship, which pays $20,000 in four annual installments of $5,000.

Georgia students learned more about the Regional Scholars Program, which also has been expanded to include every county in the Peach State, and the Academic Common Market.

Qualifying Regional Scholars Program students receive a reduced tuition rate roughly half of the standard out-of-state rate. Students participating in the Academic Common Market program may receive even lower rates.

For more information about admissions, email admissions@mtsu.eduor call 615-898-2233.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)