How To Apply for the Rising Star Program

Applications for the Rising Star Class of 2025 will open Oct. 1, 2024. The Rising Star Class of 2025 is open to eligible high school students graduating in 2025.

Follow these steps to apply:

1. Complete the admissions application online, by mail or fax, or in person by May 1, 2025.
2. Complete a Rising Star application* online (eConnect - login required) by Feb. 3, 2025. Contact the Rising Star Office to ask about any additional paperwork that you may need to finish for your application.
   
3. Request a current, official high school transcript from your high school registrar or counselor and submit it to the Admissions/Registrar’s Office. Your final, official transcript after graduation will be required as evidence that you have completed the requirements for high school graduation.
   
4. Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) using your parents’ income tax information (and student income tax information, if a student filed) from 2023. You can submit the FAFSA beginning December of 2024, of your senior year in high school. The deadline to submit the FAFSA is May 1, 2025. Or, if you are an undocumented student and are not eligible for federal aid, pick up a Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) from the college Financial Aid Office and submit it with your family income information to the Financial Aid Office by May 1, 2025.
   
5. If you are an undocumented student or have DACA/Noriega status, confirm your residency status with our admissions office and, if you are male, provide proof of selective service registration. If you are a legal permanent resident, provide a copy of your residency card (front and back).
   
6. After you have completed the steps listed above, schedule a visit with the Rising Star case manager at your campus to review the records and to make sure that you have submitted (and the college has received) all of the documents that are required to complete your application.

You’re on your way ... apply today!