Admission Procedures

Beginning Freshman Students (Non-Dual Credit)

  1. Students enrolling in college for the first time may qualify for admission by any one of the following methods:
    1. Graduating from a high school
    2. Presenting a notarized record of the high school equivalent work completed and the date of successful completion or satisfactory completion of the General Educational Development test (GED)*
    3. Obtaining individual approval from academic advising; See Individual Approval Policy section of this publication.
    4. Passing all sections of TSI and submitting a notarized statement from a high school official verifying that the student is not enrolled in school
  2. Beginning freshmen students must have, prior to registration, the following information on file in the TVCC Admissions Office:
    1. Submit your application
    2. An official transcript of high school grades and credits or GED transcript with date of graduation or completion; English translation of transcripts is required.*
    3. 1Official TSI test results
    4. Proof of bacterial meningitis vaccination that is not more than five years old (students over 22 are not required to have this vaccine)
1

If a student who is required to become TSI complete does not receive the minimum required scores, the student will be required to enroll in prescribed corequisite and/or developmental studies courses and remain in those courses until the student’s educational plan is complete.

Transfer Students

  1. Students who have previously attended other accredited colleges may qualify for admission if the following documents are submitted prior to registration:
    1. Submit your application
    2. An official transcript of grades and credits from all colleges previously attended; English translation of transcripts is required.
      Students on scholastic or disciplinary suspension from other institutions will be required, in addition to the above, to appear before the Academic Review Board which will make the final decision concerning acceptance and conditions of enrollment
    3. 1Official TSI test results
    4. Proof of bacterial meningitis vaccination that is not more than five years old (students over 22 are not required to have this vaccine)
  2. See Transcript Evaluation Process outlined in this catalog.
1

If a student who is required to become TSI complete does not receive the minimum required scores, the student will be required to enroll in prescribed corequisite and/or developmental studies courses and remain in those courses until the student’s educational plan is complete.

Dual/Concurrent/PINNACLE ECHS Enrollment
(High School Students)

Dual credit refers to a system under which an eligible high school student enrolls in a college course(s) and receives credit from both the college and the high school simultaneously, regardless of location or mode of delivery. Concurrent enrollment refers to a system under which an eligible high school student enrolls in college-level courses while still enrolled in high school and receives college credit without simultaneously receiving high school credit for these courses. Dual credit and concurrent courses include both academic courses as well as technical/workforce courses. For example, English, mathematics, history, government, criminal justice, welding, health occupations, business, ranch management and others are included..

High school students residing in the TVCC service area may be eligible to receive dual credit toward high school graduation for successfully completing TVCC core curriculum courses, technical/workforce courses and/or foreign language courses. Dual credit courses can be offered at the high school campus during regular high school hours and/or after high school hours, via embedded instruction, internet, ITV, Zoom or on any of the TVCC campuses. 

High school students may enroll in academic transfer and/or technical/workforce dual credit courses once they have met the following requirements: 

  • received permission from their parent/guardian and high school counselor;
  • completed all TVCC admissions requirements and prerequisites for courses they wish to take;
  • met the Texas Success Initiative Assessment-2 (TSIA-2) requirements;
  • completed all required placement tests prior to enrollment.  

High school students participating in the dual credit or PINNACLE ECHS programs may earn college credit that can culminate with a status of core complete, an attained associate degree or technical/workforce credential. High school students enrolling in technical/workforce dual credit courses which lead to a Level 1 certificate program, or a program leading to a credential of less than a Level 1 certificate, are required to take the TSIA-2, but not earn a passing score.

High school freshmen and sophomores are also allowed to enroll in TVCC-approved dual credit academic transfer and technical/workforce courses but may be required to meet certain additional admission requirements other than those stated above. Contact the director of dual credit for further details.
 
For students wishing to enroll in more than 15 semester credit hours, certain requirements must be met. Dual credit students with a GPA below 2.0 are placed on Scholastic Probation. Students placed on Scholastic Probation will be required to meet with a dual credit advisor prior to registration until they have earned a Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. Dual credit students who are high school freshmen or sophomores are limited to two courses per semester. Contact the director of dual credit for further details.

High school students enrolled in the dual credit or PINNACLE ECHS programs are eligible to enroll in all TVCC semesters, including fall 16-week, fall 8-week-1, fall 8-week-2, mini-winter semester, spring 16-week, spring 8-week-1, spring 8-week-2, summer 1, summer 2 and all summer.
 
High school students enrolled in the dual credit or PINNACLE ECHS programs are eligible for all TVCC student services, including, but not limited to, library services, student mentoring, student counseling, student advising with the dual credit director, free tutoring and disability services.
 
The dual credit program waives tuition on two academic classes for each semester that high school students are enrolled. Students are responsible for a flat fee for each of the two academic classes, plus the cost of learning resources. Tax paying district students’ flat fee is $49 per semester credit hour. Non-taxing district students’ flat fee is $60 per semester credit hour. Additional fees for online courses and lab fees are not included in the flat rate. Upon enrollment in the third class, the student is responsible for full tuition and fees. The dual credit program waives all tuition and fees for dual credit technical/workforce courses located at the high school and taught by an embedded high school instructor. Refer to the tuition and fees section of this catalog for a complete and current list of the taxing and non-taxing district schools.
 
Visit the dual credit website for more detailed information on eligibility, requirements and services.

Health Science Students

All correspondence about admission to a specific health science program should be addressed to the following:

Health Science Center Counselor       
Trinity Valley Community College
1551 TX-34
Terrell, TX 75160

Admission to Associate Degree Nursing, RN-TO-BSN, LVN-to-ADN Transition, Paramedic-to-ADN Transition, Vocational Nursing, Surgical Technology, pharmacy technician, pARAMEDIC and patient care technology Programs

Students entering certain health science programs should carefully consider their individual criminal history as it can impact the eligibility for pursuing state and national licenses. Applicants must fulfill the following requirements to be considered for entrance into these programs:

  1. Submit your application
  2. 1Provide documentation of TSI completion or exemption. TSI completion is not required for the Pharmacy Technician, Paramedic or Patient Technology certificate programs but the TSI test should have been taken before application to those programs.
  3. Submit minimum passing scores on each area of the designated health occupations admissions test; current testing information can be found in the Health Occupations  brochure on the Health Science Center webpage, or by contacting the HSC counselor. The health occupations admissions test is not required for the pharmacy technician, paramedic, clinical medical assistant, RN-to-BSN,  nor the patient care technology programs. 
  4. Complete the prerequisites as outlined in the current brochures, with a grade of C or better
  5. Submit official transcripts from all previously attended colleges to the Registrar’s Office and complete the online application for the health occupations program(s) of choice by the application deadline published in the brochures
  6. Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or better on a 4-point system for all previous college work. If all qualified students are selected and there are still positions available, students with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 will be considered using the same point system
1

If a student who is required to become TSI complete does not receive the minimum required scores, the student will be required to enroll in prescribed corequisite and/or developmental studies courses and remain in those courses until the student’s educational plan is complete.

There is a process for selection of students who are admitted to these health occupations programs. It is the student’s responsibility to contact an advisor for information regarding the current process. It is the student’s responsibility to keep the Health Science Center informed of any changes in name, address, email address or telephone number.

After acceptance into a health science program, the student must meet clinical requirements including meeting functional abilities, negative TB test or chest x-ray, immunization records, a negative drug screen, Basic Life Support certification for health care providers, and acceptable criminal background and registry checks.

Any ADN or VN applicant who has been convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic violation must be cleared by the Texas Board of Nursing before starting the core courses. Applicants will be sent information about getting fingerprinted for the FBI criminal background check for the Board of Nursing.  Applicants with hits will either be approved by the Board of Nursing or asked to submit a petition for a declaratory order concerning their eligibility to take the NCLEX licensing examination. Applicants who have been hospitalized or treated for mental illness and/or chemical dependency must submit a petition for a declaratory order concerning their eligibility to take the NLCEX licensing exam.  To access the petition for a declaratory order, go to Texas Board of Nursing and click on forms.  

International Students

Correspondence related to the admission of international students should be addressed to the following:

Office of International Students
Trinity Valley Community College
100 Cardinal Drive
Athens, TX 75751

or email: international@tvcc.edu

The college requires the international applicant to:

  1. Submit your application;
  2. Provide the college with official transcripts from all previously attended institutions including high school and college; English translation of transcripts is required.*
  3. Provide official TOEFL score of 41 iBT, 450 paper or 132 computer; or IELTS band score of 5.5.   Applicants from countries where English is an official language are exempt from TOEFL or IELTS.
  4. Provide proof of financial support in the amount of $15,000;
  5. Copy of passport 

Transfer Students are also required to submit completed International Student Advisor’s Report Form and all college transcripts from attended institutions. Transfer students must provide copies of current I-20 and U.S. Visa. 

If admitted, the international student must:

  1. Be a full-time student (minimum of 12 semester hours);
  2. Live on campus in college housing with a meal plan unless approved for off-campus housing by the Trinity Valley Community College Housing Committee (off-campus permission must be obtained by August 15 for the fall and by January 5 for the spring semester);
  3. Pay tuition, fees and the first installment on room/board upon registration;
  4. Purchase hospital or health insurance and show evidence of policy before enrollment; 
  5. Maintain the same academic and attendance standards as other students, if for two consecutive semesters, an international student does not maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0, he/she will not be eligible to re-enter TVCC; 
  6. Provide proof of bacterial meningitis vaccination (in English) that is not more than 5 years old (students over 22 are not required to have this vaccine); and
  7. 1Enroll in the appropriate courses as determined by TSI requirements.
1

If a student who is required to become TSI complete does not receive the minimum required scores, the student will be required to enroll in prescribed corequisite and/or developmental studies courses and remain in those courses until the student’s educational plan is complete.

All students should review and must comply with TSI policies.

*If TVCC Admissions has reason to believe that the high school diploma is not valid or was not obtained from an entity that provides secondary school education, the Director of Admissions will evaluate the validity of the student’s high school completion. The Director of Admissions will:

1) check with the high school to confirm the validity of the student’s diploma; and

2) confirm with the relevant department or agency in the state in which the secondary school is located that the secondary school is recognized as a provider of secondary school education.

Active-Duty Service Members

A student who is serving on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States who is called to duty during a semester will be readmitted to Trinity Valley Community College upon return. Service members who are gone for more than two long semesters will be required to resubmit an application and updated admissions documents.

*Disclaimer: Trinity Valley Community College refrains from high-pressure recruitment tactics such as making multiple unsolicited contact (3 or more), including contacts by phone, email, or in-person or engage in same-day recruitment and registration for the purpose of securing Service member enrollments.

If TVCC Admissions has reason to believe that the high school diploma is not valid or was not obtained from an entity that provides secondary school education, the Director of Admissions will evaluate the validity of the student's high school completion. The Director of Admissions will: 

  • check with the high school to confirm the validity of the student's diploma; and
  • confirm with the relevant department or agency in the state in which the secondary school is located that the secondary school is recognized as a provider of secondary school education.