Texas Success Initiative (TSI)

Students who have earned an associate's or bachelor's degree from an accredited institution are EXEMPT from TSI requirements.

Official transcripts must be submitted and received by TAMU-CC to qualify for the exemption. Students should email us at college.readiness@tamucc.edu if they need assistance processing a degree-based exemption.

Students who have earned credit for a college-level MATH course or ENGL 1301 (or equivalent) may qualify for an exemption from TSI requirements at TAMU-CC in the respective area. This includes dual credit, transfer credit, AP credit, IB credit, or CLEP credit. Official transcripts or scores must be submitted to TAMU-CC. 

Students should contact our team at college.readiness@tamucc.edu if they believe they might qualify for a TSI exemption based on prior college credit.

Students who previously attended a Texas public college or university who have met appropriate college readiness standards in Math or ELAR may be exempt in the respective areas at TAMU-CC.

An official transcript must be submitted to TAMU-CC. Students should reach out to us at college.readiness@tamucc.edu to review their transfer record for a possible transfer student exemption from TSI requirements based on meeting college readiness criteria at another Texas public institution. 

Students who meet college readiness benchmarks on the SAT or ACT may be eligible for an exemption from the MATH or ELAR portions of the TSI requirement. Additional score exemptions are available for the GED and HiSET exams. (See the Texas Administrative Code for additional information about score-based TSI exemptions.)

All tests must be taken within the past five years to qualify for a score-based exemption. 

To process score-based TSI exemptions, official scores must be submitted to TAMU-CC and received by our Office of Admissions.

• SAT Submission (College Board)
• ACT Submission 

Students who were honorably discharged, retired or released from active duty in the armed forces, the Texas National Guard or any reserve component of the armed forces, on or after August 1, 1990 may be exempt.

A DD214 form showing honorable or under honorable conditions (general) discharge status should be submitted to college.readiness@tamucc.edu to process the exemption.

Students who successfully completed a full credit of a college preparatory MATH or ELA(R) course while high school with a 70 average or better are entitled to a House Bill 5 waiver in the respective area. The waiver must be used within two years of high school graduation. Once students enroll in classes, they have one academic year to complete a college-level course in the respective area before the waiver expires.

Students are responsible for alerting our College Readiness team that they have successfully completed a college prep (CPMATH, CPELA) course in high school to earn this waiver. An official high school transcript with a final grade for the college prep work must be on record for the waiver to be processed. 

Students who successfully complete the Texas College Bridge certificate for Math or ELAR earn a House Bill 5 waiver in the respective area. The waiver must be used within two years of high school graduation. Once students enroll in classes, they have one academic year to complete a college-level course in the respective area before the waiver expires.

Students should submit their Texas College Bridge certificates via the GreenLight Locker portal to TAMU-CC (as an institution) and follow up with an email to college.readiness@tamucc.edu to confirm receipt. Texas College Bridge certificates cannot be accepted via email.

By default, all incoming undergraduate students have a TS hold placed on their accounts when they are admitted to TAMU-CC. Once TSIA scores or proof of an exemption/waiver are received and processed for BOTH Math and ELAR, the TS hold is automatically removed from the student's record. 

Please email us at college.readiness@tamucc.edu with any questions about the TS hold!

Send your TSI Assessment scores to TAMU-CC via the ACCUPLACER Student Portal. (Click HERE for instructions!)

Email us at college.readiness@tamucc.edu if you need assistance submitting your scores!

Yes! Our Academic Testing Center offers the TSI Assessment (TSIA) here on campus or virtually.

Options for taking the TSI Assessment are available on the Academic Testing Center website (under the “On-Campus Testing” and “Off-Campus Testing” headings). Students can call or email the Academic Testing Center for an appointment.

If you have any questions about TSIA testing, contact the Academic Testing Center by phone at 361.825.2334 or email at atcweb@tamucc.edu.

TSIA ELAR (Reading/Writing) Benchmarks for College Readiness

• 945 with an essay score of 5 -OR-
• Diagnostic Level of 5 with an essay score of 5

TSIA2 Math Score Benchmarks for College Readiness

• 950 -OR-
• Diagnostic Level of 6

The benchmarks listed above refer to the TSIA 2.0 Assessment (January 11, 2021 to present). For TSI assessments taken before January 11, 2021, please refer to the Texas Administrative Code. Note that scores must be taken within the past five years to be used for placement.

Students do NOT need to be "College Ready" (according to the TSI Assessment) to attend TAMU-CC. They just need to have TSI Assessment scores, or proof of a qualifying exemption or waiver, on file.

Students who do not meet the benchmarks for college readiness on the TSI will be required to enroll in college readiness courses (also known as "corequisites") in the respective area to become college ready. Students can also choose to repeat the TSI Assessment as many times as they want to become college ready.

Students who are not college ready in Mathematics should enroll in the appropriate corequisite support course based on their Math pathway. Corequisite courses are often signified by an "N" in the section number.

Notes: *MATH 0214 and MATH 0242 are graded courses. Students can become college ready in Math based on earning a C or higher in MATH 0214/0242 regardless of their grade in the linked college-level math course. ** MATH 1324 students who are not college ready should register for N-sections of in-person MATH 1324/1024 courses. Online students should also register for the specified MATH 0099 section. 

MATH Corequisite Options 

For a complete listing of the corequisite options for MATH for current/upcoming semesters, please refer to the link below:

MATH Corequisite Schedule
 
Students who wish to take PHIL 2303 (Logic)
Students who are Not College Ready in Math who wish to take PHIL 2303 (Logic) should register for the appropriate PHIL 0099 section identified in the course schedule.

Email us at college.readiness@tamucc.edu for guidance if needed.

Students who are not college ready in Reading and/or Writing are required to enroll in an ENGL 1301 course linked to an ENGL 0101 support course, preferably during their first semester. Students can become "college ready" in Reading and/or Writing by passing the ENGL 1301 course, or by passing the ENGL 0101 course with a 'C' or better. 

There are several options on the Course Schedule for English for students who are considered "not college ready" in Reading or Writing. Linked sections have the same 3-digit section number, like so:

• ENGL 1301.001 + ENGL 0101.001
• ENGL 1301.002 + ENGL 0101.002
• ENGL 1301.003 + ENGL 0101.003
• ...and so on

English Corequisite Options 

For a complete listing of the corequisite options for ENGL 1301/0101 for current and upcoming semesters, please see the link below:

ENGL 1301/0101 Corequisite Schedule

As always, reach out to us at college.readiness@tamucc.edu with any questions about registering for corequisite courses!

Students should consult with their instructor prior to dropping any course, but especially before dropping their college readiness courses. Students are permitted to drop both the college-level course and corequisite support course, or they may choose to stay in just the corequisite support course if desired. (For 0099 courses, there is no grade, so dropping is not necessary.)

Note: Students cannot drop the corequisite support course and remain in the linked college-level course. (For example, a student enrolled in MATH 1314 and MATH 0214 cannot drop MATH 0214 and remain in the linked MATH 1314 section.)

If students elect to drop their college-level ENGL or MATH/PHIL course, the drop will count towards their six state drops. However, dropping corequisite support courses (MATH 0214, ENGL 0101, etc) does not count towards the six state drop limit.