Are You Exempt?
The Texas Success Initiative requires students to meet college readiness standards to enroll in freshman-level academic courses. The TSI2 assessment must be taken for Level 2 Certificates and Associate Degree plans unless you meet one of the exemptions or waivers listed below.
Exemptions
- Associate's or bachelor's degree from an institution of high education.
- Earned a C or higher in a reading, writing, and/or math college-level course at an accredited out-of-state or private institution. The course(s) must be equivalent to the CTC course(s).
- Previously attended any public Texas college and the transcript indicates the TSI status has been met by the standards of that institution.
- For students meeting non-Algebra intensive readiness standards in mathematics CTC requires additional preparatory coursework/interventions for Algebra intensive courses, including MATH 1314/1324/1414.
- Honorably discharged, retired, or released from active duty United States armed forces, or the Texas National Guard, or served as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States on or after August 1, 1990.
Exemption Tests
Valid for a period of five (5) years from the date of testing:
- Old SAT (before March 2016)
- Combined 1070
- & 500 Critical Reading
- & 500 Math
- Combined 1070
- New SAT (March 2016 and later)
- 480 Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
- 530 Math
- ACT
- 23 Composite
- & 19 English
- & 19 Math
- 23 Composite
- GED
- 165 Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA)
- 165 Mathematical Reasoning
- HiSET
- 15 Mathematics subtest
- 15 Reading subtest
- & 15 Writing
- & 4 Essay
- TAKS
- 2200 ELA (English Language Arts)
- & 3+ Writing
- 2200 Math
- STAAR End of Course
- 4000, Level 2 English III (EOC)
- 4000, Level 2 Algebra II (EOC)
TSI Completion per approved assessments
Both TSI Assessment (TSIA and TSIA2) results are valid for the purposes of this title for five (5) years from date of testing.
- TSI Assessment (TSIA)
- 350 Mathematics
- 351 Reading
- Writing
- 340
- & 4 essay; or
- less than 340
- 4 ABE Diagnostic level
- & 5 essay
- TSI Assessment, Version 2.0 (TSIA2)
- Mathematics
- 950 College Readiness Classification (CRC) score
- less than 950 CRC score below
- & 6 Diagnostic level
- ELAR
- 945 College Readiness Classification (CRC)
- essay score of at least 5; or
- 945 CRC
- & 5 or 6 Diagnostic level
- & 5 essay
- Mathematics
TSI Waivers
- non-degree-seeking or a non-certificate-seeking student
- transient, a student that will not be using financial aid and must have a home university on their application or student record
- Seeking a level 1 certificate (42 or fewer credit hours)
- Active duty member of the armed forces of the United States or Texas National Guard
- US Armed Forces Reservist serving for at least three years preceding enrollment
- College preparatory courses
- OR if the ISD is using the EdReady Texas College Bridge Math & ELAR Courses
- 90 Stage 1 study path
- & 90 Stage 2 study path
- Must enroll in the college-level component area (Reading, Writing, Math) within 24 months of high school graduation date.
- Applies only to the ISD in which the student is enrolled and the requirements are on a Memorandum of Understanding with the ISD or with a partnering institution of higher education to transfer the waiver.
- OR if the ISD is using the EdReady Texas College Bridge Math & ELAR Courses