Mission
The Neighborhood Longhorns Program is the premier educational outreach program for the University of Texas at Austin offering economically disadvantaged 2nd through 8th graders the opportunity to envision attending college through incentives and scholarships. This is achieved through the involvement of UT students, volunteers and staff that provide tutoring and mentoring in participating Central Texas schools.
Overview
The Neighborhood Longhorns Program (NLP) was created by The University of Texas at Austin to increase student retention rates, improve overall grade performance and provide unique campus experiences for economically disadvantaged students in Austin’s elementary and middle schools. The program is in the portfolio of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) at The University of Texas at Austin and has a unique partnership with the Austin Independent School District (AISD) that is the foundation for the program’s and participants’ success.
Started in 1991 as a way to introduce children to the college environment, NLP inspires students—primarily in federally designated Title I or economically disadvantaged public schools—to do their best in school and offers them the opportunity to experience the university firsthand. Each year, NLP serves over 5,500 elementary and middle school students in 38 participating AISD schools and encourages them to put their lives on an educational track by providing tutoring, incentives, scholarships and campus visits.
Since its inception, NLP has served over 104,000 students and awarded over $771,000 in scholarships to first generation, low socioeconomic and minority students. The overarching goal of NLP is to support students in their attainment of a high school degree and ultimately matriculation to college.
