High School Staff Resources

High School Staff Resources

 

Applications for Fall 2026 Open October 1, 2025.

**All recommendations must be completed by February 19, 2026 at 11:59 pm CST.**

 

We are asking principals, teachers, counselors, & coaches to share this opportunity with high achieving high school seniors, who are/will be TEXAS Grant eligible, & have been leaders in their school or community. We will select 250 Scholars from across Texas.

Frequently Asked Questions?

You can find most answers to your questions in the FAQ or in the recorded information session.

• How do I know if my student is eligible to apply?
  • Please review the Eligibility Criteria, it will answer your questions.
• Are home school students eligible to apply?
  • Applicants must be a graduating high school senior from an accredited Texas High School.
• Is a DACA Student eligible to apply?
  • Because DACA students can be eligible for TEXAS Grant, they are able to apply for the TLS program.
• What happens if a student realizes they made a mistake on their application and they need to make a correction?
  • They should NOT submit a new application. They should send an email to TexasScholars@unt.edu from the email address they listed on their application and explain the change they need made and we will manually make the change. Please encourage your students to check their application for errors, especially the email address they list for the person they want to provide a recommendation.
• Is there a deadline for a selected applicant to confirm their decision to accept the offer? 
  • Yes. Selected applicants will be notified by the institution which selects them as part of their cohort by email. The email will include a deadline for the student to respond to the offer.
• Is the scholarship transferable?
  • Each participating institution evaluates the applications and makes selections independently. At the onset of awarding, the Scholarship is not transferable because we seek to ensure a cohort of students at each campus. If the student does not attend the institution which awarded the scholarship, they will be foregoing being a participant in this program.
• Is there a limit to the number of students a school can nominate?
  • No. However, we ask you to do your best to nominate those students who will best be served by this scholarship, both financially and academically.
• A student said they submitted an application and listed me to provide a recommendation, but I have not received an email, what should I do?
  • First, check your spam or junk mail filter, sometimes it goes there. Also, because it is an automated email, your school's firewall may stop it. If it's not, then reach out to the student to have them check if they listed your email correctly on their application. The student MUST be the one to reach out to make any changes on the application, they can email us at TexasScholars@unt.edu to request any changes to their application. Once the student requests the change in the email, a recommendation request will be sent to you. This is a manual process, so please be patient.
• Can a student apply before the FAFSA/TASFA is available?
  • Absolutely! The student will need to make sure they list the institutions selected on the TLS application on the FAFSA/TASFA. 
• When does a student need to complete their FAFSA/TASFA?
  • The FAFSA/TASFA must be completed by February 19, 2026 because institutions will begin reviewing applications for eligibility immediately.
• What does the scholarship cover?
  • Please review the Program Benefits, it will answer your questions. 
• How does the student receive the housing and food stipend?
  • The housing and food stipend is sent to the institution and then applied to the student's account. If the student is living on campus, it is applied to their Housing and Meals plan. If a student is living off campus, the stipend is refunded to the student how they indicated they want to receive refunds.
• Does the scholarship cover summer classes?
  • No. This scholarship is only for Fall and Spring semesters.
• Military Service and Eligibility  
  • The Texas Leadership Scholars (TLS) Program requires scholars to be enrolled full-time in a baccalaureate degree program at a participating institution during the fall semester immediately following high school graduation. Applicants who plan to complete National Guard or other military service during the fall semester and intend to defer enrollment until the spring may not be eligible for consideration for this program.

How does a student receive an application for the Texas Leadership Scholars Program?

• Please review the eligibility requirements to ensure the student(s) meets the eligibility criteria.
• High school staff members can complete and submit the Application Link Request and we will send the application to your school email as listed on the request. If you do not receive the email within a few minutes, please check your spam filter; it is not uncommon for Firewalls to block automated emails, we encourage you to add our email address to your safe list.
  • If the application is not received, please feel free to email us directly. This request should only be made by a high school staff member; parents and students should not request this link.
  • This link is now closed and will reopen for the 2026 Application Period.
• You will then share this link with your student(s) and they can then begin the application process. 
• All applications require a high school staff recommendation. The student will list this high school staff member and email address on their application. An email will be sent to that individual immediately upon the student submitting the application.
• Recommendation letters must be submitted through the link the recommender receives via email and must completed by February 19, 2026, at 11:59 pm CST.

Want to Learn More?

Have questions? Contact TLS staff at TexasScholars@unt.edu.