FAYETTEVILLE — The Southwest Classic game between Arkansas and Texas A&M is returning to Arlington, Texas again this weekend as the football programs hope to increase their exposure in the Dallas metroplex.
The game was held at AT&T Stadium from 2009-11 and is under contract to be played there again each year through 2024. For the Razorbacks, Dallas has been a strategic recruiting ground for multiple sports dating to the 1960s.
But the exposure gained from playing in the world's most recognizable stadium has also helped the University of Arkansas get into more Dallas-area high schools recruiting non-athletes. The number of UA students from Texas has more than doubled from 1,705 the year before the Razorbacks began playing an annual game in the state to 4,147 in the latest reporting period.
Jennifer Duncan, a UA recruiter based in Dallas, said the football game helps initiate dialogue with prospective students about the university.
"The Southwest Classic is a wonderful opportunity for the Admissions Office," Duncan wrote in an email. "It brings more visibility to prospective students as they see us mentioned on the local radio and news stations."
Obviously, a football game can't be solely attributed to the growth of the student population from the Lonestar State. Many Texas high school students have taken advantage of an academic incentive that offers in-state tuition to qualifying out-of-state students.
The UA is located about four-and-a-half hours from cities in the north Dallas metro area, such as McKinney. By comparison, the University of Texas campus is about four hours from McKinney and Texas A&M is about three-and-a-half hours away.
If Texans qualify for in-state tuition at the UA, their education can cost less than at public universities in their home state.
The increase in Texas students recently led to the UA being named the seventh-fastest growing public university by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The UA enrollment topped 26,000 students for the first time this year.
"We increased our recruiting presence not only in DFW but across the state of Texas and surrounding states in the past 6-10 years," Duncan wrote. "...Students and parents have continued to be impressed with the quality of our academic programs and faculty on campus."
Duncan said she is also hearing from some impressed with the Razorbacks' 3-1 start to the season.
"The past few wins definitely have students and alumni excited and talking about the Hogs here in the metro area," she wrote.