We are so excited that you have chosen to make Texas Academy part of your journey! We are sure you are asking, what do I do now? Below, we have included instructions on next steps as well as some additional resources for you to review.
If you have any questions, please contact us at texas.academy@lamar.edu.
Beginning with the incoming class of Fall 2024 all Texas Academy students will be responsible for paying a $100 student service fee. Incoming students will pay a $25 application fee when applying, and the remainder of the fee will be owed when accepted.
This fee will cover student body t-shirts, senior shirts, and the students first club due along with other supplies and items that the students may need such as ink and paper in the student study room.
Students who entered the Texas Academy for the Fall 2023 term are not required to pay this fee, however, they will be responsible for their club dues, senior shirts, etc.
MISSING INFORMATION LETTER
When Lamar University receives your applyTexas application, you will be issued a Missing Information Letter and it will reflect a high school transcript requirement. Texas Academy will submit your transcript to the Admissions Office. There is no need for you to do this.
LU ACCEPTANCE
Once your transcript has been submitted to and processed by LU Admissions, you will receive your LU acceptance letter within 24 hours. At this point, you may move on to the following steps.
After you have received your Lamar University Acceptance Letter, you will be able to access your Lamar University email account, and Self Service Banner (SSB) with your Lamar ID (L20123456) and your LEA (bigred1)
To activate your LEA, you will need to set up a password, create security questions and sign up for two-factor authentification (via DuoMobile)
When a student is officially admitted to Lamar University, all correspondence will go through their email account. All written communication from Texas Academy administrative staff and other campus offices/departments will be sent directly to the Lamar University student email account. Communication from the student should also be sent via his/her myLamar account.
Set up your student email account!
If you have any issues setting up these accounts, all questions should be directed to Lamar University Service Desk by calling 409-880-2222 or emailing servicedesk@lamar.edu.
All Texas Academy students provide proof of a bacterial meningitis vaccination or exemption prior to course enrollment. Please visit the vaccination webpage to view instructions on how to submit the vaccine or waiver.
Note: The Texas Academy CANNOT register you for your classes until this has been completed. Please make this a priority once accepted.
Now that you can access your LEA account, its time to start on your New Student Forms.
All Texas Academy students/parents are required to complete the following:
*If you have NOT set up your LEA username and logged into your LU email account, you will not be able to access the portal.
All student forms MUST be completed by August 1.
Once all requirements are satisfied, the Texas Academy Academic Counselor will begin enrolling students in their first semester. Students will be placed in courses according to high school graduation requirements/needs, major or field of interest, and course availability. Our goal is to not set students up for failure but to ensure they have the necessary foundation and tools to be successful.
All courses in which you will be enrolled in while a student of the Texas Academy are college level. There is a difference between high school Chemistry and a college level Chemistry. College courses will be more in depth with a higher degree of difficulty.
Students will meet with their Academic Counselor mid-semester for advising, and will initiate future course enrollment to ensure high school graduation requirements are met.
Students at Texas Academy must enroll in and complete all essential courses required for high school graduation, as specified by the Texas Education Agency. Any unauthorized changes to course enrollment, including dropping or adding courses, may be adjusted by Texas Academy staff at their discretion, without prior notification to the student, provided that no additional costs are incurred by the student.
All curriculum changes, advising, course enrollment, etc. is completed within the Texas Academy.
How to check your schedule:
1. Go to LUconnect (see LU Connect below)
2. Self Service Banner
3. Click Student Tab
4. Click "NEW student self-service" and log in
5. Click Student Schedule
Within the academy, we have a few different ways of communicating.
Communicating with Administrators
Students at Texas Academy should use their Lamar University email account to send all correspondence to texas.academy@lamar.edu. The Texas Academy staff regularly monitors this email account, and the appropriate staff member will respond based on your questions.
GroupMe
Texas Academy students use GroupMe for clubs, organizations, student council, etc. All Texas Academy students will need to join the GroupMe for the academic year(s) they are enrolled.
REMIND
Texas Academy administrators, and student council use remind for more emergent matters that need to be sent out right away as a text message. This is typically a last resort, and prefer that communication stay within GroupMe or email. This information is shared via email.
Texas Academy students receive a scholarship that covers up to 15 credits per fall/spring term. The funds are posted to the students account approximately 13 day before the first day of class, and funds will disburse to the student bill 10 days before the first day of class. Until this takes place, you will have a bill. We ask that you wait until after 10 days prior has passed before reaching out to us with questions regarding your student bill.
Texas Academy Students are required to attend several events at the start of the year. Please review the following, and mark your calendars:
Fall 2024 Events:
1) TA STUDENT Orientation; August 20th at 9AM in the Galloway Business Building Landes Auditorium
2) Peer Mentor Mixer; August 20th at 1PM in the Science and Technology Building
3) Peer Mentor Kick Off Event; August 21st at 10AM outside of the Texas Academy Building
Texas Academy students are also required to attend one of the Lamar University New Student Orientations. This is when you will be able to do things in person such as obtaining your parking tag, learning about financial aid, etc.
Note: TA students DO NOT get advised at orientation. We do this here in the academy. You also do not need to pay the orientation fee.
Parent Q&A
Parents! We will hold a Parent Q&A on Monday August 5th at 5:30PM on zoom. Please register now if you plan to attend. Zoom link will be sent out Monday afternoon.
Texas Academy students are required to cover the expense of all books and supplies for their courses. Each course syllabus will list books and materials required. You may also visit the Lamar University Barnes & Noble Bookstore for information related to course materials online.
Texas Academy students who intend on taking more than 15 hours per term, or need assistance with housing, books, or supplies may file for financial aid assistance.
You will need to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on www.studentaid.gov.
On your application, it is important that you select "None of the Above" on the High School Completion Question. You will also need to send your application to Lamar University.
After submitting, your application will be received by the Financial Aid Office. Once reviewed, you will receive an email notification from Financial Aid to your Lamar University email address with instructions on next steps.
LU Connect is where you can access all of the different Lamar University Resource pages including but not limited too:
Apply for Housing
Apply for Jobs
Check your LU Email
LU Hub - central platform for TA students; log service hours, submit forms, register for events, club information
LU Learn (Blackboard) - Students should not expect to see courses listed in Blackboard until two business days prior to the course start date. LU Learn is used for online courses/ class assignments and other course enrollment related requirements.
Self Service Banner - check your schedule, update contact information, view financial aid
Parking Pass
Password Reset
Pay your Bill
All Texas Academy students are required to obtain a minimum of 12 service hours per semester, or 18 to be considered to Texas Academy Honor Society.
When logging hours, students MUST have verification that the hours have been completed if the event is not supervised by TA staff. Verification = a signed form by the supervisor that includes date(s), time(s) that you volunteered or they can also email you to verify and you upload a PDF of the email when you log your time.
Students who wish to live on campus must complete a housing application. We ask that you do this prior to July 15th if possible so that we have enough time to complete roommate and room assignments to send to the Housing Office.
Note: If you submit a housing application, choose to not live on campus, and do not cancel it by their deadline you are LOCKED INTO that application and are required to pay the housing fee.
Lamar University Police Department
Lamar University Health Center
Student Forms
Advising Form (Add/Drop Courses, Summer Enrollment, Major Change)
Event Request Form (Have your event added to LU Hub/TA Calendar
FAFSA Submission Form (Seniors Only)
Letter of Recommendation Request Form