Pictured at left is ACC President Dr. Stephen Kinslow signing the articulation agreement with Southwestern University President Jake B. Schrum.

The presidents of the Austin Community College District (ACC) and Southwestern University signed an articulation agreement Monday morning, April 9, that will grant automatic admission to eligible honors students from ACC to Southwestern in Georgetown.

Under the terms of the agreement, any student enrolled in ACC’s Honors Program who has completed 24 hours of coursework and has a 3.4 cumulative GPA will be automatically accepted to Southwestern. The agreement clearly spells out which ACC courses will be accepted by Southwestern if students choose to transfer to the university.

Officials from both schools hope the agreement will contribute to the state’s Closing the Gaps initiative, which seeks to increase the number of students enrolled in Texas higher education.

The ACC District has articulation agreements with 32 universities, including the University of Texas, Texas State University and Texas A&M University; this is the third aimed at assisting honors students. There are 1,209 students in ACC’s Honors Program who could benefit from the agreement.