The University formally introduced its Commitment to Delawareans program in November, with announcements in Sussex and New Castle counties explaining the detailed guide that middle- and high-school students, parents and counselors can use to plan for admission to UD.

At the Southern Delaware news conference, UD President David P. Roselle said, “With UD now counted among the finest institutions of higher education in the nation, our coursework is challenging. This initiative will ensure that the state’s students have clear guidelines as to what courses in high school will best prepare them for admission to the Newark campus.”

The intent of the program is to clarify admissions procedures for middle school and high school students and emphasize the need to begin the path to college readiness early. The guidelines go beyond UD’s published admission requirements, which spell out only the minimum number of courses students must complete to be considered for admission.

The document also is designed to give high schools in the state an incentive to offer rigorous courses and to give guidance counselors a powerful tool in encouraging their students to take such courses. Besides specifying what courses students should take, the Commitment to Delawareans also requires students to include at least two honors courses in their curriculum and to enroll in a full course load their senior year.

“If Delawareans do these things and do them well, there will be a place for them at the University of Delaware, and UD will do all it can to meet their demonstrated financial need,” Provost Dan Rich says.

The document notes that following the guidelines in the program not only puts students on track for admission to the Newark campus in a four-year degree program but also ensures that they will be “among our best-prepared students.”

More information is available on the web site [www.udel.edu/commitment].