INTRODUCTION

TRUE CONNECTION True Blue Tour

Our key annual recruiting event, the True Blue Tour, gets bigger and better each year. Joining me on these recruitment tours to various locations throughout Tennessee—and even beyond the state’s borders to Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky—are top University administrators, deans from all the University’s academic colleges, and counselors from Financial Aid and Admissions. The end result is a wonderful opportunity for prospective students and their parents to hear firsthand from MTSU representatives in their own backyards, as well as get important information about admission and financial aid. This is a prime opportunity to explain the unique educational experience MTSU offers.

During the most recent reporting period, we attended a record 14 stops on the True Blue Tour. The quality of prospective students attending increased as well. Many of our TBT guests have come to Murfreesboro for a campus tour and/or Preview Day since we saw them in their hometowns. In addition, our recruiters traveled an additional 64,000 miles to share opportunities at MTSU with prospective students and their families.

In all, our student body represents some of the state’s best and brightest, as evidenced annually by the record average GPA (3.6) and ACT (22.6) scores of our freshman classes and by the fact that more than 70% of our incoming first-year students qualified for Tennessee’s HOPE Lottery Scholarship. This is the direct result of our focus on attracting quality applicants and ensuring their success once on our beautiful campus. attract 7

TRUE OPPORTUNITY

We recognize that our mission isn’t just about attracting and serving traditional students. It is about providing an education to all Tennesseans. We are extremely proud that we continue to serve many of the state’s first-generation students, as roughly 40% of our undergraduates are the first in their families to attend college. We also continue to serve the state’s most at-risk students, with more than 40% of our students qualifying for Pell grants or other need-based loans.

Here is a brief look at some of the very special populations MTSU purposefully seeks out to serve and which the University excels at educating in a manner no other Tennessee institution can boast.