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Baltimore County Schools Offer Opportunity For Instant Admissions To College

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Hundreds of Baltimore County high school seniors headed to Milford Mill Academy's gymnasium to meet with representatives from more than a dozen historically black colleges and universities.

Organizers say that during Wednesday night's event, lots of these students were accepted to college the same night.

The instant admissions college fair brought together 15 regional HBCUs, 20 Baltimore County high schools, and nearly 800 students.

All four HBCU's in Maryland took part: Bowie State, Coppin State, Morgan State and the University of Maryland: Eastern Shore.

"It was a lot faster process and I know right then and there," student Raniya Holmes said. "I got accepted into five institutions."

"It takes a lot of weight off your shoulders knowing you have somewhere to go," student Justin Smith said. "Your boy is here. We got into college!"

The goal is to close the enrollment gap in the number of minorities looking for a higher education. The event is free to all students and transportation will be provided by their schools. Students should bring their high school transcripts, SAT scores, and optional writing samples and recommendation letters.

"There are some schools here that i didn't even know about,"  parent Erica Cook said.

Students met with representatives from two colleges for a 30-minute interval. If students fulfilled the college's requirements, the student will come away with the option to attend a four-year college.

"I got accepted into Morgan State University, my dream school," student Tamera Bradley said.

The organizer of the event says while the event targeted students of color, all races were invited.

"The process to get into college can be very labor taxing for our students and our parents," principal Joseph said.

According to the district, about 39 percent of Baltimore County public school students are black and 40 percent are white.

Students admitted into certain schools still need to submit online applications to make it official.

In addition to acceptance letters, many students walked away with scholarships.

957 college acceptances were awarded to students from 20 BCPS high schools.

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