School Fit
Decide whether a two-year residential early college fits your student
Look past selectivity to daily life: university classes, a residence hall, and two years away from the home high school.
Checked against TAMS's published admissions pages on November 5, 2026.
School fit
Is TAMS a fit?
- The school
- TAMS is a residential early college program at the University of North Texas. Admitted students leave their high schools and take university classes at UNT.
- Academics
- Students finish with at least 64 university credit hours. TAMS does not rank students, and it says in-state public universities must accept all UNT credit.
- Research
- TAMS says about 70 percent of its students conduct some type of research. Admitted students can apply for a 9 week Early Summer Research Program, and first-year students can apply for a 10 week Summer Research Program. Scholarships are limited and competitive.
- Tracks
- TAMS offers six tracks. It says no quotas exist for each track.
- National Merit
- First-year TAMS students take the PSAT in October and are eligible for the National Merit scholarship competition.
- Students who leave
- TAMS says roughly 5 to 10 percent of a class leaves the program.
- After acceptance
- Families who accept an offer return a Letter of Intent. They must also complete the FAFSA to be eligible for any level of TAMS scholarship.
- 01
Ask your student whether they want to leave their high school for two years, and let them answer honestly.
- 02
Attend a Preview Day or webinar and ask what a typical week looks like.
Residential life
Life on campus, and what it costs.
All TAMS students live on campus. These are the details TAMS publishes.
- Living on campus
- TAMS is a residential program, so every student lives in the McConnell Hall residence hall on the UNT campus. Commuting is not an option.
- Supervision
- Two full-time Hall Directors live in McConnell Hall and supervise 20 student staff members. The doors are locked from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and the front desk is staffed 24 hours a day.
- Rooms
- All rooms in McConnell Hall are double rooms, and males and females live on separate floors.
- Closed weekends
- There are four closed weekends each semester when all students return home.
- Cars and jobs
- Having a car on campus is a privilege for second-year students, and TAMS discourages students from holding any job while at the academy.
- Yearly cost estimate
- TAMS estimates the 2026-2027 yearly cost at $28,438 before any scholarship. That covers $14,000 for tuition and related fees, $11,838 for housing and dining, a $2,500 TAMS program charge and a $100 student activities charge. These are estimates, and UNT can change them each year.
- Program charge
- The TAMS program charge is $2,500 a year, stays the same for both years, is non-refundable and is due in full in the fall semester.
- Scholarships
- Every TAMS student receives the TAMS Student Scholarship, $9,000 for the academic year. A Mid-Class Scholarship of $5,000 is available to students with a Student Aid Index of 40,000 or less, and a Supplemental Scholarship can cover remaining need. All are based on the FAFSA or TASFA.
- Scholarship dates
- Incoming families should file the FAFSA or TASFA before May 31, 2027. Named scholarship applications open May 11, 2027 and close May 31, 2027.
- Cost changes
- UNT can raise tuition, fees and housing and meal plan costs each year. The TAMS scholarship amount is fixed for a student for the two years of the program.
- 01
Talk through shared rooms, locked doors overnight and limited car use with your student before applying.
- 02
Ask the TAMS finance contact about scholarships at a spring financial aid webinar, since Preview Days skip that topic.