More Than 5,000 Area High School Students Accepted to ACC: College Connection Opens Door to Higher Education

* Austin Independent School District: Thursday, May 26: Anderson, 5:45 p.m. Erwin Center; Bowie, 8:45 p.m. Erwin Center;
Friday, May 27: Garza, 3 p.m. Delco Center; Austin, 5:30 p.m. Erwin Center; Travis, 8:30 p.m. Delco Center;
Saturday, May 28: Johnston, 9 a.m. Delco Center; Crockett, Noon Erwin Center; Akins, 3 p.m., Erwin Center; McCallum, 5:30 p.m. Erwin Center; Lanier, 8:30 p.m. Delco Center;
Sunday, May 29: Reagan, 2:30 p.m. Delco Center; LBJ, 5:30 p.m. Erwin Center

* San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District: Saturday, May 28: San Marcos High School and PRIDE High School, 7 p.m. at Strahan Coliseum, Texas State University San Marcos

* Leander Independent School District: Saturday, May 28: Leander High School, 9 a.m. Erwin Center;
Sunday, May 29: Cedar Park High School, 3 p.m. Erwin Center

* Del Valle Independent School District: Monday, May 23: Del Valle High School, 3 p.m. Strahan Coliseum, Texas State University San Marcos

* Bastrop Independent School District: Friday, May 27: Bastrop High School, 8 p.m. Erhard Field, Bastrop

COLLEGE CONNECTION FACT SHEET

* College Connection was created and implemented by Austin Community College in Fall 2003 to increase awareness of higher education among high school seniors, to assist those students with applying to college, and to increase college enrollment among Central Texas high school graduates.
* College Connection is an initiative in the ACC Master Plan to assist the State of Texas in its Closing the Gaps plan to increase college participation by 600,000 more students by the year 2015.
* College Connection is unique in that it offers high school students hands-on individual support with ACC’s admissions process in the comfort and familiarity of their high school environments. The program stays with participating seniors until each one has successfully completed the admissions process and received a letter of acceptance to ACC upon walking the stage at their high school graduations and receiving their diplomas.
* The program was piloted in the 2003-2004 school year with the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District. Now College Connection is a partnership between ACC and five surrounding school districts: Austin Independent School District, San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District, Leander Independent School District, Del Valle Independent School District, and Bastrop Independent School District.
* College Connection removes the mysteries of how college works and teaches seniors how to apply for college. Through on-high school campus visits, ACC employees assist high school students with filling out admissions and financial aid applications, ASSET assessment, orientation and advising, and career planning.
* College Connection even gets parents involved, by providing them with information sessions on financial aid. High school seniors get a real feel for college by participating in various activities such as College Day, in which ACC academic and workforce departments provide seniors with information on various degrees and areas of study. Seniors are also given an opportunity to tour ACC campuses to see first hand what college is like.
* Recent data from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board show that since the implementation of College Connection in San Marcos CISD in 2003-2004, ACC has seen a 55 percent increase in enrollment by San Marcos CISD graduates.

Back to Top