Pictured Above: According to an announcement from the university, “the goal of GAPP is to increase access to higher education for students from underrepresented groups and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, building on USF’s long-standing commitment to student success.”
Courtesy of USF St. Petersburg
By Catherine Hicks
USF announced Wednesday the expansion of the Guaranteed Admissions Pathway Program (GAPP), growing from nine high schools in the program to 17 and extending the program’s reach to include Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota, Manatee, Pasco and Lake counties.
The GAPP program provides guaranteed admission for students who attend a high school in the program. Students must also maintain at least a 3.7 GPA and earn a score of 1100 on the SAT or an ACT score of 22.
The program includes Title I schools, the largest federally funded educational program. According to the Florida Department of Education, Title I “provides additional resources to schools with economically disadvantaged students.” These resources are designed to assist students with reaching their educational needs.
“The intent (of the program) is to form a close working relationship with local high schools partnered with us on the GAPP,” said USF St. Petersburg Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock in an email to The Crow’s Nest. “Doing so allows us to get information about the variety of admission pathways available to students to USF into the hands of parents and students early in the students’ high school experience and provides incentives for those students to pursue their dreams with us.”
The decision was met with praise from the student body and alumni, though the financial burden on potential students was a concern.
“I think this is great. It will bring more diverse people and voices to campus and give more opportunities for higher education,” said Samantha Harris, a junior mass communications and journalism major, in a Facebook comment to The Crow’s Nest. “However, the next step will be providing these students with resources to pay for college. Many students don’t know all the opportunities they have for scholarships and while they may be admitted, they still have to figure out how to pay for it.”
Other students showed their support by liking Harris’ comment or replying that they agreed with her, while alumni expressed similar enthusiasm and concerns.
“This is great to see,” said Chandler Hackbarth, a 2019 graduate in business economics. “(I’m) wondering what kind of aid will be available for these students, as well? Many of them will be first generation college students.
“When I first started we had a program called TRiO, but it was disbanded after my first year, though it was very helpful. Not sure if it has been implemented again since I graduated, but I would like to see similar programs for these incoming students. It has to be more than just getting in, we need to give them the tools to succeed as well.”
In response to this need, the GAPP program also provides eligible students with priority consideration for the History of Achievement Scholarship, an academic award of up to $2,000.
The GAPP program is one of several programs that seek to help students gain access to higher education, such as the FUSE program, the Pinellas Access to Higher Education (PATHe) program, and Student Support Services. Each of these programs provides assistance to prospective USF students to aid them in their higher education journey.
The FUSE program, similar to the PATHe program, is an effort to assist students who enroll at another college to complete their A.A degree and then transfer to USF to complete the rest of their bachelor’s.
For those in guidance and academic counseling at Title I high schools in the program, GAPP provides their students with another opportunity or avenue to pursue their goal of higher education.
In Pinellas county, there are four eligible Title I high schools; Boca Ciega, Hollins, Gibbs and Pinellas Park.
“It has great potential for our students who qualify, and at some point it might help increase college attendance,” said Alison Meyer, department chair of guidance counseling at Hollins High School. “With (COVID-19), it may be rough going for a while, (but) I think any program that offers assistance for entering college to any student is a win.”
Tadlock said that the GAPP program is one of the many pathways available to local high school students, designed to ensure USF remains accessible to all local students as well.
“I am very pleased that the USF admissions leadership is working across the region to provide more access to the university for students of all backgrounds,” Tadlock said. “We care deeply about students coming into the USF who will be successful, and that is why admission requirements for traditional first year in college students are high.
“However, we want to make sure we balance those future indicators of success with continued access for local students to a top tier, nationally ranked university campus. GAPP helps us do that but is only one initiative among many we have in place for prospective students to consider.”
Students who are eligible for GAPP can apply by completing a standard admissions application and select any USF campus to attend.
