Drury, OTC sign dual A+ admission agreement

Drury University and Ozarks Technical Community College have signed a dual-admission agreement for A+ students, beginning this semester.

According to the agreement announced Thursday, OTC will offer students in the A+ program - a statewide program that provide tuition to Missouri public institutions for high school students that maintain grade point average, attendance and tutoring requirements - the opportunity to dual enroll at Drury when they start at OTC.

Students eligible for the Drury program have to maintain a 3.25 GPA each semester at OTC and graduate from the community college with an associate's degree.

In return, students would be eligible for the same financial aid at Drury available to traditional incoming freshmen, as well as several $5,000 scholarships specifically for A+ students.

"This partnership provides an excellent opportunity for our A+ students to continue their education at Drury," OTC President Dr. Hal Higdon said in a news release. "Those students who benefit from the A+ program in their first two years will now be eligible for scholarships that were not previously available."

Students would also have the option to pay $50 fee per semester for access to Drury facilities, including the library, fitness center and campus cultural events.

"This is just another example of the commitment to collaboration between our institutions in the interest of providing educational opportunities to our students," Drury President Todd Parnell said in the release.